Old Testament Study Guide: Key Questions and Themes

Tiglath Pileser III

Came to the throne in 745 BC.

Fall of Nineveh

Occurred in 612 BC.

First exile to Babylon

Occurred in 604 BC.

Fall of Jerusalem to the Romans

Occurred in 63 BC under Pompey.

Theme of 1 Kings 18

Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal.

Isaiah 6

Describes Isaiah's vision of God in the temple and his call to prophecy.

Ezekiel 37

Depicts the vision of the valley of dry bones.

Key verse in Micah 6:8

"Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."

Chiasmus

A literary structure that uses repeated elements in reverse order.

Solomon

The king known for multiplying wives, gold, and horses.

Jeroboam I

Associated with calf worship in Dan and Bethel.

Northern Kingdom

Associated with Samaria as its capital.

Kings used to evaluate the kingdoms

Jeroboam (north), David (south).

1 and 2 Kings

Traditionally credited to Jeremiah with authorship.

Four major periods in Daniel 2's statue vision

Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome.

Role of prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah

Served as priests and spokespeople of God.

Four faces of Ezekiel's living creatures

Lion, bull, eagle, and man.

Setting of the Book of Lamentations

The destruction of Jerusalem.

Purpose of city laments

To mourn the fall of a city and explain its spiritual causes.

Apocalyptic literature

Genre that deals with persecution and symbolic visions.

Key features of apocalyptic writing

Symbolism, heavenly journeys, pseudonyms, and visions.

Books in the Deuteronomistic History

Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings.

Author of Proverbs

Traditionally attributed to Solomon.

Theme of Proverbs 8

The personification of Lady Wisdom.

Structure of Proverbs

Begins and ends with female imagery.

Central theme in Ecclesiastes

Vanity and the futility of life without God.

Esther's adversary in the Persian court

Haman.

Jewish holiday established in the Book of Esther

The Feast of Purim.

Central message of the Book of Hosea

God's love for unfaithful Israel, symbolized by Hosea marrying an unfaithful woman.

Message of Amos

Social justice; God condemns ritual without righteousness.

Prophet who used a locust plague as a figurative image

Joel.

Obadiah's prophecy

Concerns the judgment of Edom.

Jonah's message to Nineveh

Repent, or the city will be destroyed in 40 days.

After Jonah preached in Nineveh

The people repented, and God spared the city.

Nahum's message about Nineveh

Nineveh will fall and not rise again.

Micah's requirements from God

Justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8).

Theme of Zephaniah

The Day of the Lord.

Message of Haggai

Rebuild the temple.

Message of Habakkuk

The justice of God and faith during injustice.

Theme of Malachi

Covenant faithfulness and God's future judgment.

Zechariah

The prophet during the rebuilding of the temple post-exile.

Apocalyptic literature

Focuses on God's ultimate victory and justice.

YHWH

"I Am"; God's covenant name.

Hebrew poetry characteristics

Chiasmus, parallelism, acrostics, rhythm, and inclusio.

Types of parallelism in Hebrew poetry

Synonymous, antithetical, and synthetic.

Imprecatory psalms

The primary emotional response is calling on God to judge enemies.

Wisdom in the Old Testament

A way of thinking and living according to God's order.

Books of wisdom literature

Proverbs, Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs.

Setting of the book of Job

Patriarchal period.

Job's struggle

Maintaining faith amid suffering.

Theme of Proverbs

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8

Wisdom personified as a woman who calls people to righteousness.

Song of Songs

Love poetry; allegorical and literal interpretations exist.

Megilloth scrolls

Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations.

Festival associated with the book of Ruth

Pentecost.

Festival associated with Esther

Purim.

Festival associated with Ecclesiastes

Tabernacles (Sukkot).

Festival associated with Song of Songs

Passover.

Themes in Lamentations

Mourning over Jerusalem's fall, city, king, and temple.

Ecclesiastes conclusion about life

Life is meaningless without God.

Theme of Song of Solomon

Human love and monogamous marriage.

Relationship emphasized in Song of Songs

A proper, exclusive, and monogamous relationship.

Methods for interpreting Song of Songs

Allegorical, typological, dramatic/literal.

Funeral rituals in ancient Israel

Tied to hope in God and personal lament.

Theme of 1 and 2 Chronicles

Encouragement to return to the glorious past, focus on Davidic monarchy and temple.

Historical books paralleled in Chronicles

1 Samuel and 2 Samuel; 1 Kings and 2 Kings.

Key figures compared in Chronicles

David and Solomon with Moses and Joshua.

Reasons for exile according to Chronicles

A) Priests and people were unfaithful; B) Failure to listen to prophets; C) Ignoring Sabbath rests.

Verse explaining exile in 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 36:21.

Language replaced Hebrew in post-exilic period

Aramaic and later Greek.

Focus of Ezra's ministry

Teaching the Law and rebuilding the temple.

Focus of Nehemiah's work

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

Celebrations in Ezra's day

Passover and Booths.

Ezra's emphasis in Jewish restoration

The Law and proper worship.

Setting of the Book of Esther

Susa, in the Persian period.

Esther's key message

God will not tolerate anti-Jewish hostility.

King that allowed Jews to return from exile

King Cyrus of Persia.

Cyrus's release of the Jews from exile

538 BC.

Assyria

Empire that took the Northern Kingdom into exile.

Babylon

Empire that took the Southern Kingdom into exile.

Inclusio

A literary device where a text begins and ends with similar statements.

Tanakh

Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), Ketuvim (Writings).

Prophet

Messenger of YHWH, calling people to covenant faithfulness.

Titles for prophets

Seer, Watchman, Man of God, Messenger of YHWH.

Ezekiel's four living creatures

Represent strength (lion), service (ox), wisdom (man), and swiftness (eagle).

Jehoiachin

King during the first exile to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar

Babylonian king responsible for destroying Jerusalem.

Tiglath Pileser III

Assyrian king during the Syro-Ephraimite war.

Major Prophets

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.

Jeremiah's message in Jerusalem

Surrender to Babylon.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel

Two prophets who were also priests.

Judging kings phrase

He did what was evil/right in the sight of the Lord.

Ezekiel

Name meaning 'God strengthens.'

Ezekiel's message to the exiles

The exile will be long, and they must accept it.

Symbolic city of Babylon

New York City (used metaphorically in modern interpretation).

Theme of the Book of Kings

The fulfillment of the word of the prophets.

Solomon's downfall cause

His many wives, foreign alliances, and idolatry.

Kings during the division of the monarchy

Rehoboam (Judah) and Jeroboam (Israel).

Elisha

Prophet known for a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

Canonical criticism

Focuses on how the text functions as part of the whole canon.