Outline of the Book
- 1.1. Tradition and Creativity
- 1.2. The Poet’s Intention and the Poem’s Autonomy
- 1.3. The Connections of Association and Likeness
- 1.4. A Close Reading of a Poem: Basic Strategies
Part I: The Craft of Biblical Poetry
- 2.1. Robert Lowth, De Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum (1710-1787)
- 2.2. James Kugel, The Idea of Biblical Poetry (1981)
- 2.3. Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry (1985)
- 2.4. Wilfred G.E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry (1985)
- 2.5. Adele Berlin, The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism (1985, 2008)
- 2.6. F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp, On Biblical Poetry (2015)
- 2.7. Exercises for Chapter 2
- 3.1. Stress and Meter
- 3.2. Rhyme and the Repetition of Sound
- 3.3. The Function of Repetition
- 3.4. Strategies of Repeating Sameness
- 3.5 Exercises for Chapter 3
4. Word Pairs: The Building Blocks of Parallelism
- 4.1. Word Pairs: Natural, Cultural, and Personal
- 4.2. Similar Pairs
- 4.3. Pairs with Associated Words
- 4.4. Sequential Pairs
- 4.5. Lists of 3 and 3+1, 7 and 7+1
- 4.6. Exercises for Chapter 4
5. Parallel Lines: Similarity and Sequence
- 5.1. Similar Parallelism
- a. similar ideas without parallel word pairs
- b. the full similarity of ideas, words, and even grammar: abc || abc
- c. elliptical parallelism: abc || bc or a variation
- d. parallelism with substitution: abc || bdc and the like
- e. apposition: abc | a or abc | b or abc | c
- f. repetition of one or more element(s): ab || ac or the like
- g. chiasm: ab || ba
- h. contrasting parallelism
- i. a group of three-line: a tercet
- 5.2. Sequential Parallelism
- 5.3. The Combination of Similarity and Sequence
- 5.4. Stanzas and Larger Groups
- 5.5. Exercises for Chapter 5
- 6.1. Literal language
- 6.2. Cognitive Domain
- 6.3. Denotation and Connotation
- 6.4. Exercises for Chapter 6
7. Metonymy: Connection by Association
- 7.1. A Definition of Metonymy: X for Y
- 7.2. The Importance of Metonymy
- 7.3. Some Examples of Metonymy in the Bible
- 7.4 Exercises for Chapter 7 on Metonymy
8. Metaphor: Connection by Likeness
- 8.1. The Definition of Metaphor: A is (like) B
- 8.2. Implied Metaphors: Unless the LORD builds the house.
- 8.3. Wide and Narrow Metaphors
- 8.4. Paul Ricoeur: Live and Dead Metaphors
- 8.5. Lakoff & Johnson: Metaphors as Conceptual Frameworks
- 8.6. Some Metaphors That the Bible Lives By
- 8.7. Metaphor and Metonymy
- 8.8. Exercises for Chapter 8
9. Other Non-Literal Language With a Note on Hebrew and Greek
- 9.1. Irony
- 9.2. Overstatement or Hyperbole
- 9.3. Understatement or Litotes
- 9.4. Multiplicity or Ambiguity
- 9.5. The Hebrew and Greek Languages: Some Brief Notes
- 9.6. Exercises for Chapter 9
Excursus: A Close Reading of Psalm 23
Part III: Genre: The Types of Biblical Poems
10. The Lyric and Biblical Poetry
11. Hymns of Praise and Thanksgiving
- 11.1. Praise and Thanksgiving in Ordinary Speech
- 11.2. Hymns of Praise
- 11.3. The Thanksgiving Hymn
- 11.4. Exercises for Chapter 11
12. Narrative and Implied Narrative
- 12.1. Plot
- 12.2. Characters: Flat & Round, Traditional & Realistic
- 12.3. Other Entities: Literal and Significant
- 12.4. Time and Place in the Story
- 12.5. The Narrator or Storyteller, Author, and Worldview
- 12.6. Narrative Time
- 12.7. The Performer and the Audience
- 12.8. Exercises for Chapter 12
13. Laments: the Prayer Psalms or Psalms of Petition
- 13.1. Petitions in Ordinary Speech
- 13.2. Prayer Psalms as Dramatic Monologue
- 13.3. The Stock Plot of the Prayer Psalms
- 13.4. The Stock Characters
- 13.5. The Prayer Psalm in One Act
- 13.6. The Prayer Psalm in Two Acts
- 13.7. The Basic Elements of the Prayer Psalms
- 13.8. Realism and the Laments
- 13.9. Conclusion
- 13.10. Exercises for Chapter 13
14. The Genres of Wisdom Literatures
- 14.1. Wisdom in the Bible
- 14.2. The Characters of Wisdom Literature
- 14.3. The Genres of Wisdom Literature
- 14.4. Exercises for Chapter 14
- 15.1. The Prophets as Bearers of God’s Word
- 15.2 The Call Narrative
- 15.3. The Messenger Formula
- 15.4. Oracles and Speeches
- 15.5. Conclusion
- 15.6. Exercises for Chapter 15
