A Survey of the Old Testament by Andrew E. Hill & John H. Walton

Author:Andrew E. Hill & John H. Walton [Hill, Andrew E. & Walton, John H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Biblical Studies, Old Testament
ISBN: 9780310590668
Google: WC80zxPIgyQC
Amazon: B003JH836E
Barnesnoble: B003JH836E
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2010-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

Hebrew wisdom is like a mountain full of precious gemstones that must be carefully mined out of sediment and rock formations one by one. The basic unit of Hebrew wisdom is the proverb. The proverb is merely an analogy attempting to uncover basic truth about life by means of comparison. Characteristically the proverb is a popular saying expressing in pithy terms certain observed regularities in the external world of nature or in human behavior. There are several other types or patterns of the proverbial speech form, as shown in figure 20.3.

Hebrew wisdom literature is a composite of several wisdom speech forms.

In Proverbs the parable is usually understood as a “warning speech” (e.g., the warning against adultery in 6:20–35).

The precept is an authoritative instruction or regulation for behavior based on the rules and values and religious tenets of society. The ethical aspects of this literary form connect Hebrew wisdom with the moral codes of Hebrew law (e.g., “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, / when it is in your power to act,” Prov. 3:27).

The riddle is a puzzling question stated as a problem calling for mental acumen to solve it (e.g., Samson’s riddle, “Out of the eater, something to eat; / out of the strong, something sweet,” Judg. 14:14).

The fable is a brief tale embracing a moral truth using people, animals, or inanimate objects as characters (cf. Jotham’s fable about the trees choosing a king, Judg. 9:7–20).

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