Overview

A Primer of Biblical Hebrew Poetry by David Mark Emanuel is an essential language resource for understanding Hebrew poetry in the Hebrew Bible. The textbook describes with examples the range of poetic techniques employed by the biblical poets--encompassing all poetic texts in the Hebrew Bible, including the psalms, wisdom and prophetic literature, and poetic lines embedded within Hebrew prose. The book is organized into five main sections, beginning with a robust introduction on the idea of Hebrew poetry and where it is dispersed throughout the Hebrew Bible. Three primary chapters follow, addressing Masoretic, lexical, and morphological features, structural poetics, and specific Hebrew poetics. The book concludes with a summary chapter and two helpful appendices. A Primer of Biblical Hebrew Poetry is intended for upper-level undergraduate students and seminary students who have already begun learning the Hebrew language. Emanuel's clear explanations and examples are intended to support classroom teaching on Hebrew poetry, whether in a Hebrew readings class or in the context of book studies that include Hebrew poetry.

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Reviews

A Primer of Biblical Hebrew Poetry is a most welcome volume in the field of Hebrew poetry. The intermediate Hebrew student will benefit greatly from Emanuel's clear explanations and ample examples, while the established scholar will appreciate Emanuel's consistent engagement with recent scholarship. Whether as an introduction in the classroom or a resource on the shelf, this volume deserves wide use. * <br/><b><code>—</code>W. Dennis Tucker, Jr., Professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University</b> * An ideal guide to learn the ins and outs of biblical Hebrew poetry, David Emanuel's book stands apart by its straightforward explanation of the array of poetic functions in Scripture. If you are a student or minister of the word, this book presents reliable insight that works. Instead of dry and strained theories, Emanuel offers an abundance of biblical examples. Emanuel's primer gives us what we need and makes Hebrew poetry fun again. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Gary Edward Schnittjer, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Cairn University</b> * As a biblical Hebrew teacher, it is easy to focus on narrative at the expense of poetry. This book provides the interpreter with the analytical tools necessary for analyzing Hebrew poetry in its many forms and settings. It is a must have for both beginners and experts alike, and I look forward to using it in the classroom. * <br/><b><code>—</code>David Moster, Director of the Biblical Hebrew Certificate Program, The Jewish Theological Seminary</b> * Countless Hebrew students have seen their growing aptitude in the language come to a sudden halt as they venture from narrative into poetry. With A Primer of Biblical Hebrew Poetry, David Emanuel offers an extraordinary resource for overcoming the challenges these texts present and for fully appreciating the intricate beauty of their poetic form. Students and scholars alike will benefit from this remarkable guide. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Jeffery Leonard, Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University</b> * David Emanuel has distilled a career's worth of inquiry into a single volume, masterfully pulling together the many threads of method and technique that inhabit the poetry of the Hebrew Bible. Emanuel asks not simply 'what,' but 'how' and 'why,' offering young exegetes the tools they need to explore, analyze, and be amazed by the beauty that is biblical poetry. The student is left with an expert and compelling guide to the most difficult, most captivating, and most delightful genre to be found in the Old Testament. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Sandra L. Richter, Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies, Westmont College</b> * In this comprehensive yet accessible volume, David Emanuel lays out the formal elements of ancient Hebrew verse and demonstrates how they help readers uncover meaning, notice crucial themes, and identify boundaries between literary units. He also provides a readable overview of the distinctive word-choice and grammar employed by ancient Israelite poets--something other volumes on biblical poetry neglect. This volume will be useful to serious readers of the Bible, to intermediate and advanced students of Hebrew, and (I can attest) even to scholars. Emanuel's attention to linguistic markers of biblical poetry and his emphasis on functions formal features play make this volume especially welcome. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, The Jewish Theological Seminary</b> * In this primer, David Emanuel masterfully guides readers on a journey to understand not only the foundational mechanics of Hebrew poetry-- ranging from parallelism, to allusion, to morphology--but also the beautiful ways poetry contributes to the meaning of the biblical text. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Rebecca W. Poe Hays, Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University</b> * Teaching students how to interpret and find meaning in biblical Hebrew poetry is challenging. In this book, Dr. David Emanuel weaves poetic forms, techniques, functions, morphology, purposes, and interpretive methods together to help readers discover meaning within poetic literature. Both professors and students will benefit from engaging with his writing. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Alaine Buchanan, Dean, Graduate School and Associate Professor of Bible and Theology, North Central University</b> * This fine book will be beneficial for students looking to move on from basic grammar acquisition and as a resource on the shelf of more advanced readers of Hebrew. I commend it for being lucidly thorough yet without being exhaustive (or exhausting!). * <br/><b><code>—</code>Helen Paynter, Founding Director, Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, Bristol Baptist College</b> * With a sensitive eye to both architecture and interior design, David Emanuel takes readers on a tour of the foundations, structure, techniques, and furnishings of biblical Hebrew poetic texts. More than describing and illustrating morphological and syntactical features as well as poetic structures and techniques, Emanuel offers methodological guidelines and a worked example of poetic analysis. His clear discussions and numerous examples dispel the mystery of Hebrew poetics while retaining the wonder of Hebrew poetry. For anyone interested in the function of poetic forms and their contributions to meaning, this primer is an indispensable guide. * <br/><b><code>—</code>Christopher B. Ansberry, Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Grove City College</b> *

Author Information

David Emanuel (PhD, Hebrew University) is adjunct professor at North Central University and formerly was professor of Hebrew Bible and language at Nyack College. He is author of From Bards to Biblical Exegesis: A Close Reading and Intertextual Analysis of Selected Exodus Psalms and An Intertextual Commentary to the Psalter: Juxtaposition and Allusion in Book I.

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