Chapters 32-33 Study Questions

Question 1

What did many nineteenth century critics assume that Hebrews were incapable of regarding poetry?

Answer 1

Cultivating hymnic, lyric, or didactic poetry until a fairly late period

Question 2

What do most modern critics concede regarding the dating of Hebrew poetry?

Answer 2

Early elements do go back to the time of David, though the finished production may not have been written until the late monarchy or post-exilic periods.

Question 3

What is parallelism in Hebrew poetry?

Answer 3

Balancing thoughts or phrases with corresponding thoughts or phrases containing almost the same number of words, or a similar idea.

Question 4

What did 19th and early 20th century critics contend regarding rhythm in Hebrew poetry?

Answer 4

Each of the Old Testament poetic texts must have conformed to a predictable pattern.

Question 5

What did critics try to do to passages after they thought they figured out their dominant metrical patterns?

Answer 5

Frequently amend the Received Text of the Hebrew wherever it did not conform

Question 6

What helps prove that there was no observable meter in Hebrew poetry?

Answer 6

The Canaanite text of the Ras Shamra tablets

Question 7

What did G. D. Young state regarding the lack of metrical pattern in Hebrew poetry?

Answer 7

“It is not accentual or syllabic, but is simply the beautiful repetition of ideas in parallel form.”

Question 8

Hokhmah is the Hebrew word for what?

Answer 8

Wisdom

Question 9

What did Hebrew wisdom literature contain?

Answer 9

Moral law governing human relationships, relationships with God, and a degree of success to which man may attain

Question 10

What is the Hebrew title for Psalms?

Answer 10

“Praise Songs”

Question 11

What is the Greek word Psalmoi mean?

Answer 11

Songs to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument

Question 12

What purpose do the psalms seem to embody?

Answer 12

Personal response on the part of the believer toward the goodness and grace of God

Question 13

Psalm 2 is a rare psalm that contains what?

Answer 13

Thoughts and revelations of God Himself

Question 14

What was the Psalter?

Answer 14

A division of the psalms into five books, perhaps to correspond to the five books of the Torah

Question 15

Where is the only definite information about the authors of the psalms found?

Answer 15

In their titles, though not all titles contain the author’s name

Question 16

What is the earliest psalm and when was it presumably composed?

Answer 16

Psalm 90 by Moses, around 1405 B.C.

Question 17

When did the psalms of David and Asaph originate?

Answer 17

Between 1020 and 975 B.C.

Question 18

How do rationalist critics view the psalm titles?

Answer 18

As additions by later rabbis based on speculation

Question 19

Based on the rejection of the psalm titles, what do critics say about David’s authorship of the 73 psalms attributed to him?

Answer 19

He did not compose any of them.

Question 20

What four reasons besides the unreliability of the psalm titles do critics say show the improbability of David’s authorship? Argue against them.

Answer 20

1. Some psalms speak of King David in the third person.
   1A. Abundant evidence of ancient authors speaking of themselves in the third person, even God speaking of Himself in the Old Testament
2. Some psalms refer to Israel’s sanctuary as a temple structure already built.
   2A. The Hebrews sometimes referred to the tent of the tabernacle as “sanctuary,” “house of God,” or “temple.”
3. Some Davidic psalms contain Aramaisms, indicating post-exilic authorship.
   3A. David had contact with Aramaic-speaking people North of Israel.
4. The historical David was too busy with practical affairs to write poetry/music.
   4A. The Old Testament supports David’s interest in musical arts. 1 Sam. presents him as a skilled harpist. Amos 6:5 refers to him as an inventor/player of musical instruments.

Question 21

Was the psalter compiled all at once?

Answer 21

No. It was accumulated over a long period of time.

Question 22

What psalm mentioned by Archer is considered exilic?

Answer 22

Psalm 137 - “By the waters of Babylon”

Question 23

What psalm mentioned by Archer is considered post-exilic?

Answer 23

Psalm 126 - “…the captivity of Zion.”

Question 24

How did Hermann Gunkel use humanistic form criticism to analyze the Psalter?

Answer 24

He classified psalms into various categories, and sought to identify the general situation in life that brought them into existence.

Question 25

How many psalms do the Masoretic Text and Septuagint record?

Answer 25

150

Question 26

What causes a discrepancy in verse numbering between the English version of the psalms and the MT?

Answer 26

The English version does not count the psalm title as a verse.

Question 27

What does the term “selah” indicate in the psalms?

Answer 27

An instruction to the reciter to “lift up” his voice or to wait for a “musical interlude.”

Question 28

Several of the psalms have a remarkable feature. What is it?

Answer 28

Allusion to the coming Messiah.

Question 29

Compare Hebrew poetry to modern English poetry.

Answer 29

1. Rhyme was not characteristic of Hebrew poetry.
2. Hebrew poetry was not fiction.
3. Hebrew poetry demonstrated a balance of thought.

Question 30

What are three types of parallelism?

Answer 30

Synonymous - second line generally repeats the first.
Antithetical - second line contrasts the first.
Synthetic - second line adds to or constructs the first.

Question 31

What is the concern of wisdom literature?

Answer 31

The practical rather than the speculative, similar to the Greeks.

Question 32

What are the divisions of the Psalter?

Answer 32

I. Psalms 1-41 belong to David
II. 42-72
III. 73-89
IV. 90-106
V. 107-150

Question 33

What are 8 types/classifications of psalms?

Answer 33

1. Praise
2. Nature
3. Historical
4. Social
5. Imprecatory (prayers about enemy defeat)
6. Penitential (repentance)
7. Messianic - Ps. 110, 22
8. Liturgical (worship) - Ps. 120-124 Songs of ascent

Question 34

What are the wisdom books of Scripture?

Answer 34

Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes