Bible Exam 2

The emotional and thematic climax of Lamentations is located where in the book?

Lamentations 3

Whose voice dominates Lamentations 3?

the voice of a royal Davidic persona

What historical event inspired the painful poetry of Lamentations?

Destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC

In Lamentations 1 & 2 Jerusalem is portrayed in which of the following ways?

a bereaved, traumatized woman

Which of the following is often called the Book of Proverbs' motto?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

According to Longman, who or what does Lady Wisdom represent?

Yahweh

The wisdom in Proverbs is especially similar to the wisdom literature of what other ancient Near Eastern nation?

Egypt

In many ways, wisdom, as described in Proverbs, is similar to which of the following modern ideas?

emotional intelligence

What food does Lady Wisdom offer to those who would dine at her house?

meat and wine

Throughout Proverbs 1-9 who is the assumed listener or recipient of instruction?

a son

Lady Wisdom laughs at the disaster that befalls those who ignore her warnings.

True

What food does Lady Folly offer to those who would dine with her?

bread and water

According to Proverbs 2:16, from whom will wisdom rescue you?

the mysterious, foreign woman

Throughout Proverbs 1-9, who is the main speaker?

a father

Who is the poet narrator in Lamentations?

-Traditionally believed to be the prophet Jeremiah, who laments the destruction of Jerusalem. It could have also been a Davidic king such as Jehoiachin or Zedekiah

-Located in lamentations 1, 2, and 4

mostly likely a collective representation of the Davidic persona, balancing and complementing the grief of Lady Zion

Who is Daughter Zion in Lamentations and where does she come up?

Daughter Zion represents Jerusalem, personifying the city as a woman who mourns its destruction and loss.

-Location: 1 and 2

-female personification of jerusalem and its inhabitants designed to evoke the reader’s pity and prevent abstraction of the city’s destruction. Give a human face to the suffering.

Who is the Davidic Person in Lamentations and where does it occur?

-Lamentations 3

-Significance: Masculine personification of the Davidic dynasty that serves as a counterpart to Lady Zion offering a royal male perspective on the suffering and leading the community in a liturgy of repentance.

Cultic prophet and where it occurs in Lamentations

-Lamentations 4

-Significance: a prophet in the midst of the worshipping community who arises and pronounces an oracle of hope for the cessation of Judah’s suffering and assurance of her enemies’ punishment.

Communal voice and where it shows up in Lamentations

-Lamentations 3, 4, and 5

-Significance: a chorus of all the voices sharing and expressing their communal grief, highlighting the aspects of their suffering that they hold in common and that binds them together.

Starving children and location in Lamentations

-Lamentations 2 and 4

-Significance: represents extreme suffering and devastation caused by the siege of Jerusalem, powerful symbol of the innocent victims caught in the midst of the calamity.

Dominate image and refrain of Lamentations 1?

-Dominant image: Daughter Zion

-Refrain: “no one consoles her”, Lady Zion’s abandonment

Dominant image and refrain of Lamentations 2?

-Dominant Image: YHWH waging war against his own chosen people, siding with the enemies. Focuses on fall of Jerusalem.

-Refrain: comparison of YHWH to an enemy who relentlessly attacks and wounds Judah

Dominant image and refrain of Lamentations 3?

-Dominant Image: suffering/penitent king, royal presentation formula, allusions to David

-Refrain: Continuing and intensifying the comparison of YHWH, the Divine Warrior, to an enemy of Judah. Male voice is a royal voice (Davidic king) which leads community in repentance

Dominant image and refrain of Lamentations 4?

Dominant Image: Tarnished gold

Refrain: YHWH’s temple in ruins, Davidic king dethroned, tragic transformation of the city. Ends with a prophetic word of promise but interrupted to promise justice against Edom.

Dominant image and refrain of Lamentations 5?

Dominant Image: restoration of the people to YHWH, whatever that looks like

Refrain: prayer begins with common refrain by entire community, extreme grief over sin and desolation of Zion, bold assertion of faith, orphans without comfort, falling on YHWH’s mercy and faithfulness

What role does Lamentations 3 play in the book as a whole?

Climax of the book: surprising turn toward hope and offers community some wisdom instruction as to how to view their suffering and how to submit and respond to YHWH’s severe discipline

Which laments in Lamentations are acrostic and which are not?

-Lamentations 1 and 2 follow the same pattern, launching each stanza with a word beginning with the successive letter of Hebrew alphabet

-Lamentations 3 intensifies acrostic structure by tripling effect of Hebrew alphabet

-Lamentations 4 returns to pattern of the first two laments

-Lamentations 5 abandons acrostic altogether.

Where is Lamentations located in Christian canons? Jewish canons?

Christian: Jeremiah

Jewish: In the writings: Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Ruth

What is the earliest written indication that Jeremiah is the author of Lamentations?

Greek translation of Lamentations includes a brief preface not found in the original Hebrew that explicitly attributes Lamentations to the prophet Jeremiah.

How many main sections are in Proverbs? What are they?

seven

-Proverbs 1-9

-Solomon 1A

-Solomon 1B

-Sayings of the Wise

-Solomon 2

-Sayings of Agur

-Sayings of King Lemuel

The main emphasis of the friends' speeches in Job is which of the following?

God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous.

The placement of Job in both the Hebrew and Protestant canons signals Job's close connection with which other biblical book?

Psalms

The character known as hassatan who insinuates that Job's faithfulness to God is self-interested and that God has been overprotective of Job is best identified with which of the following?

God’s prosecuting attorney

The book of Job teaches us that God values which of the following?

-unconcerned piety

-justice

-speaking with honesty and integrity

Whose speech is missing in the third cycle of Job's debate with his friends?

Zophar

Solomon 1A Characteristics

-dominated by antithetical parallelism bearing out the contrasts of Proverbs 1-9

-wisdom as ethical rather than intellectual

-character fate nexus

Solomon 1B Characteristics

-numerous types of parallelism

-focuses on life in the royal court, royal king elevated as God’s representative

-emphasizes differences between human and divine righteousness

-focuses more on God’s intimate involvement in the outworking of our lives

-defines wisdom as wit and cunning

-deed consequences nexus

Character-Fate Nexus and Deed consequence nexus

explore the relationship between a person's character and their fate, as well as the link between one's actions and the resulting consequences.

-deed consequence: direct connection between one’s actions and resulting outcomes

-character-fate: character’s choices intersect with predetermined fate

Ma’at in Proverbs

-the goddess of the created order

-female personification of wisdom and order but adjusted for their own understanding of YHWH.

Amenemope in Proverbs

-Proverbs has strong comparisons to Ancient Near Eastern texts, some coming before Solomon (Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope)

-Strong likelihood that some proverbs were adopted and adapted from non-Israelite sources.

Agur and King Lemuel in Proverbs

-known for their wisdom sayings. Agur is recognized for his reflections on human limitations, while King Lemuel's teachings emphasize the qualities of a virtuous woman.

-both non-israelites

The Fear of YHWH in the book of Proverbs

-a paradoxical notion, should be taken together not as words by themselves

-receptivity to divine revelation, instruction, and correction

-hatred and rejection of evil

-genuine knowledge of divine holiness

-confidence

- source of life

Lady Wisdom in Proverbs

A personification of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, often depicted as calling out to the simple and offering guidance. Lady Wisdom represents the pursuit of knowledge and the value of living a righteous life.

Dame Folly in Proverbs

A personification of folly in the book of Proverbs, often contrasted with Lady Wisdom. Dame Folly embodies foolishness and leads individuals away from righteous living, enticing them with deceptive promises.

Nuances of folly: petiy

simple-minded/gullible

Nuances of folly: kesiyl

impetuous, impatient, willfully disobedient, resistant to instruction or correction

Nuances of folly: ‘ewil

those who are full of themselves and thus morally desensitized, beyond correction (incorrigible)

Nuances of folly: Nabal

very similar to ‘ewil but even more hardened. Someone demonstrating malicious antagonism toward God or his messiah

Nuances of folly: lets

scoffer. Similar to Nabal but without the political/messianic associations, exceptionally arrogant and pugnacious

Identity of Satan in the book of Job

hassatan

“the accuser”

Ecclesiastes: The main speaker, the one whose words make up the bulk of the book, is identified in the text by what designation?

Qoheleth

Which of the following phrases best captures Ecclesiastes' theological function?

an idol-buster

The conclusion and main theological point of Ecclesiastes is spoken by which of the following voices?

The frame narrator

How many voices speak in Ecclesiastes?

two

What phrase in Ecclesiastes exposes the limited perspective of Qoheleth that the frame narrator transcends in the conclusion?

under the sun

The multiple passages in Ecclesiastes containing Qoheleth's advice for those struggling with the fundamental meaninglessness of life can be summed up with which of the following phrases?

Carpe Diem

Why is Job 28 significant and what is its function in the book as a whole?

-interlude of “Where can wisdom be found?”

-human wisdom has failed to penetrate Job’s problem and has misconstrued the fear of YHWH.

-divine speech addresses and reverses Job’s counter-cosmic curse with answers in Job 28.

What is the theology of retribution and how is it handled in the book of Job?

Retribution: people getting what they deserve, the righteous being awarded and the wicked being punished.

-Friend’s interpret Job’s suffering through the lens of retribution, seeing it as a corrective discipline.

What key difference exists in the Greek version of Job’s prologue and how does it affect our understanding of the characters in the book?

The Greek version presents Job's character as more righteous and innocent than in the Hebrew text, emphasizing his unwavering faith. This contrast highlights the themes of suffering and divine justice differently, impacting the reader's perception of Job's trials.

What parallels exist between the prologue and epilogue of Job?

The prologue and epilogue of Job both frame the narrative, establishing Job's initial righteousness and later restoration. They highlight the themes of divine sovereignty and the testing of faith, reinforcing the book's exploration of suffering and redemption.

What is significant about YHWH’s appearance and speeches at the end of the book of Job?

-YHWH reveals himself by concealing himself in the storm. The divine speech addresses and reverses Job’s counter-cosmic curse.

-God’s purpose in the cosmos cannot be thwarted by disorder and suffering.

-Divine order is not mechanical nor is it subject to human comprehension and manipulation.

Who is Qoheleth and what does his name mean?

-Qoheleth is the dissenting or challenging voice in the book of Ecclesiastes, traditionally attributed to King Solomon. His name means "the Teacher" or "the Preacher," reflecting his role in imparting wisdom and exploring the meaning of life.

How many speakers are there in Ecclesiastes? What is the role of each?

-two main speakers

-Frame narrator: canonical or authoritative voice

-Qoheleth: dissenting or challenging voice who explores the meaning of life and offers reflections on human existence.

What is the main theme of each of the halves of Qoheleth’s speech?

The first half focuses on the futility of human endeavors and the inevitability of death, emphasizing life's transience. The second half shifts to the importance of enjoying life's simple pleasures and finding meaning in the present.

How does the frame narrator modify Qoheleth’s speech for his son?

The frame narrator contextualizes Qoheleth's reflections by providing a guiding perspective, emphasizing wisdom and the importance of heeding the lessons learned. This modification serves to align Qoheleth's insights with a broader moral framework for the reader.