Hebrew Poetry
This literary device has each line starting with a different letter, usually the alphabet.
Acrostic
Who is the traditional author of Proverbs?
Solomon
People are limited in how much they can change their lives
Humans are limited in how much they can understand God
Grace is shown in the good things of creation
Death coming is sure but its timing is not
Enjoyment is possible, even in life's pain.
Who almost certainly did NOT write Song of Songs?
Solomon
What kind of parallelism is this?
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
According to Proverbs, wisdom starts with what?
Fear of the Lord
Ecclesiastes means Preacher/Teacher in Greek. What is the Hebrew name?
Name two speakers in the Song.
Him (Lover), Her (Beloved), Friends (Others)
What kind of parallelism is this?
Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones.
Personified Wisdom calls to the reader. What does her path lead to?
life and knowledge of God
Modern translations tend to use "meaningless" or "futile" but older versions translate the Hebrew word hebel as what?
Vanity
What does the Hebrew construction X of X mean?
Best of the best
What type of parallelism is this?
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
synthetic parallelism
If I want to know what Proverbs has to say on a topic, what should I do?
Read widely since there will be a lot of nuance about a topic (like varying reasons for poverty, etc.)
Name one thing the teacher tries in his search.
Work, Wisdom, Pleasure, Wisdom/Folly
What is one allegorical interpretation of Song of Songs?
God's love for Israel, Of Christ's love for the Church, Of Christ's love for the individual believer
This literary device is setup like an X, with parallel ideas at the beginning and the end with the most important idea found in the middle.
Chiasm
Folly is personified as a promiscuous woman who calls out to the reader. Where does her way lead?
Death and the grave
What conclusion does the author of Ecclesiastes ultimately come to?
God is not understandable but fear him and keep his commandments,
What is one purpose given in class for the Song of Songs inclusion in the Bible?
Illustrates the wonders of human love, which is itself a gift of God's love
Provides a balance between the extremes of sexual perversion and asceticism