Final Flashcards
Function of the Prose Prologue of YHWH’s second speech in 40-41
- It introduces the reader to the heavenly court or divine council.
- It introduces the three central characters: GOD, SATAN, JOB
- It possesses dramatic irony
- The Importance of Dialogue in the Narrative Section
Narrative: Job 1-2, 42:7-17
Poetry: Job 3-42:6 - The Prologue Anticipates the Final Verdict Twice
PROLOGUE
Job 1:22: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”
GOD’S FINAL VERDICT
Job 42:7: “ After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” - The Heavenly Court is the Interpretive Key!
What are the Images of Death in the Book of Job?
- The Womb of the Earth
- Land of the Dead
- The Power of Darkness
- God appears as Tormentor
The Womb of the Earth
- The Womb: Job references coming naked from his mother’s womb and naked he will return “there.” (Job 1:21; 3:11-12, 16)
- The Primordial Abyss: The womb from which the sea bursts has cosmic dimensions. (Job 38:8)
Land of the Dead
Job’s understanding:
• Job thinks that Sheol is a better place to be.
• In Chapter 3, we are reminded that death is not merely a state, but a dimension!
• In Chapter 7:9-10, described as the “Land of no return”
• Rephaim(Giants) inhabit it in 26:5
God’s “understanding”:
• Grave is seen in cosmic dimensions.
• God himself “understands” in the sense that he controls the world of the dead
• God is challenging Job to assume the powers of the Creator (38:16-18)
The power of darkness
Job’s understanding:
• Job summons the powers of darkness and gloom
• Job 3:4-5
God’s rule of “the darkness”:
• God asking “Have the gates been shown to you?”
• Job doesn’t rule the powers and presences of that world, but God does (Job 38:17).
God appears as Tormentor
Job’s understanding: • Job understands God as his tormentor. • Job 3:20-26 Unmasking of Tormentor: • Behemoth and Leviathan are shown to be Job’s adversaries. • Job 40:15-41:34
Literary structure of Second YHWH Speech?
- Introduction 40:6-14
- Figure of Behemoth 40:15-24
The challenge 40:15
The creature’s appearance 40:16-19
His habitat 40:20-22
His invincibility 40:23-24 - Figure of Leviathan 41:1-34
The challenge 41:1-8
Overwhelming fear 41:9-12
Description of the monster 41:13-29
His habitat 41:30-34
Second YHWH Speech Intro
The first four verses use law-court imagery and Job is challenged to assume command of the underworld and more exactly to dispatch the wicked there.
God is challenging Job to behave as ruler of the universe, because if he does, he has Behemoth and Leviathan with which to contend.
Figure of Behemoth
The Challenge:
–The use of the word “behold” (hinnēh) connects Behemoth with the world of the dead and leads us to expect further revelations about that world.
“He is a creature I made.”
–The Creature’s Appearance
“like rods of iron.”
‘the first of the ways of God’ like wisdom in Proverbs 8:22.
“even his maker has to bring his sword against him.”
–Habitat of the Behemoth
On the one hand, the details are vivid and realistic and evoke a marshy scene which firmly roots the creature in the natural world like the animals of 39.
On the other hand the words resonate with deeper meanings which point to with increasing clarity to the creature’s real identity and the true location of his haunts
In verse 20 the verb “to make sport” is used in Ps 104:26, “There is that Leviathan whom you have made to sport in it.”
–His Invincibility (Job 40:23-24)
Implied Question: Who can do this? Not you, Job—only God.
Figure of Leviathan
–“The Satan” of the Prologue has many guises throughout the book of Job
–Leviathan is the culmination of the various guises in which the Satan has appeared throughout the book including the reference to Leviathan in 3:8
• Yam and Tannin (7:12)
• Sea (9:8)
• Rahab (9:13 and 26:12)
• The gliding serpent (26:13)
–The Challenge:
-The theme of God’s rhetorical questions is the awesome power of Leviathan and human impotence before him.
-In 41:7-8, there are resonances which take us out of the world of humor and irony and into the realm of cosmic conflict.
–Overwhelming Fear:
God is showing Job that it is unthinkable that Job could confront Leviathan much less himself.
Verse 12 should be rendered as a reference not to the strength of Leviathan, but to his powerful speech.
The reader has already glimpsed this fine argument in Job 1:11 and Job 2:5.
–Description of the Monster
General Description: Parody of Theophany
Verses 13-17 focus on the impenetrable armor of Leviathan.
• In verses 18-21, the supernatural elements begin to increase, with emphasis on fire and its theophanic associations.
• ‘Strength’ and ‘Dismay’ are his entourage.
• God is unmasking this fearsome creature who terrifies even the angels (41:25)
• Vs 26-29, Weapons are futile against him!
Summary of Leviathan
- Leviathan may deride the wielding of the javelin, but ultimately that will do him no good—he who sits in the heavens will have the last laugh.
- This lengthy description develops the implied theology of the rhetorical questions in 38-39: God is in charge.
- The images of fire and lightning reveal this figure as the adversary who has been masquerading as God throughout the book.
Leviathan’s habitat
In Verse 30, ‘Mire’ refers to the mud of the river bank.
• A further indication that Leviathan is more than a natural creature is given in verses 31-32 where we move from the river of the crocodile to the open sea which is the habitat of the whale.
• On earth, there is not his equal.
Is Leviathan a mask for Satan?
The evidence, then, identifies Leviathan with Satan, the culmination of various guises in which he has appeared throughout the book including the reference to Leviathan in 3:8, Yam and Tannin 7:12, Sea 9:8 and 38:8-11, Rahab 9:13 and 26:12, and the gliding serpent 26:13. Much mystery remains, but for Job the power and providence of the Creator have been demonstrated beyond dispute.
Why was the first Confession of Job Inadequate? (Job 40:3-5)
- His first confession was silence and the relationship was not restored!
- Comes to the conclusion that he is of small account and unholy; but compared to the second confession, finds out this response is inadequate.
Job’s second confession
Literary Structure:
-Job’s Second Confession: Restored relationship 42:1-6
-What Job now knows and understands 42:2-3
-What Job now sees 42:4-5
-What job now does 42:6
What Job now knows and understands (42:2-3):
• No plan of yours can be thwarted.’
• In Verse 3, Job acknowledges that his idea of God had been limited.
What Job now sees (42:4-5):
• Not only does Job ‘know’, he ‘sees’
• Seeing is related to Job 19:26-27
• Whatever we may make of the phrase ‘in my flesh’, the expression ‘with my own eyes’ implies a bodily and post-resurrection experience.
What Job now does (42:6):
-Job now recognizes that, while he has not committed sins which have led to his afflictions, he has been guilty of presumption and he wishes to turn from that.
Superscriptions
A Superscription provides information regarding authorship (e.g. by/of David), historical setting (e.g. Psalm 3 “when he fled from Absalom”), type of psalm (e.g. Psalm, Song, Prayer et al.), and function of the psalm (e.g. Song of Ascent). There are 116 superscriptions in the MT tradition. The LXX adds 32 superscriptions to the collection, leaving only Psalms 1 and 2 without a superscription. Of the 116 attributed Psalms in MT, 73 are attributed to David. The LXX attributes an additional 13 more Psalms to David making 86 Psalms attributed to King David.
The meaning of ledawid
- “For the royal office”: view is now discounted
- “For the reigning descendant of David”: evidence is arbitrary and not convincing
- “Belonging to a Davidic collection”: same as #4 below
- “by David” (author):
a. Grammatically possible: Isa. 38:9; Hab. 3:1.
b. Most scholars think the MT intended this meaning (lamed auctauris “lamed of authorship”).
c. Historical notices support this meaning (cf. Psalm 3).
d. Clearly the meaning in 2 Sam. 22:1, synoptic with Ps. 18:1.
e. Many biblical notices concerning his poetic gift and liturgical interests (e.g. 1 Sam 18:10).
f. NT interpreted it in this way (Matt. 22:43, 45; Mark 12:36, 37; Lk. 20:42; Acts 1:16; 2:25; 4:25 (?); Rom. 4:6; 11:9; Heb. 4:7.
g. At times Aquila and Symmachus translated the superscription with the Greek genitive case (Aquila e.g. 9:1, 11:1, 14:1) (Symmachus e.g. 9:1, 11:1, 13:1), which may indicate ownership, possession or belonging (Smyth, sec. 1297) or origin of something (Smyth, sec. 1298).
Antiquity and historical reliability of superscriptions
- Majority of scholars are skeptical about their age or worth.
- It is mischievous to pit the historical approach against other approaches.
- Elsewhere in ANE hymns have superscriptions and subscriptions
- Lacking in latest psalms in MT tradition
- Authorship is given in Exod. 15; 2 Sam. 1; 22; Hab. 3; Is. 38:9.
- Why the “orphan psalms”?
- Why would later editors introduce material not found in historical books and not readily inferred from the psalm itself (cf. Pss. 7; 30; 60)?
- Linguistic and literary evidence point to an early date. The meanings of many of the musical terms have been lost. If these were a late invention on the part of scribes, how is it we do not know the meanings of these terms? This phenomenon appears in the Sumerian hymns as well. Psalm 8 contains the phrase ‘al haggittîṯ, the meaning of which has been lost (perhaps the instrument used was from the place gaṯ but we do not know for certain.). Apparently, the meaning was lost by 200 BC since the LXX translated the term with nonsense ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν “over the wine vats.”
- Why were they not understood by translators of ancient versions (e.g. lamǝnaṣṣēaḥ “to the choirmaster” LXX εἰς τὸ τέλος “to the end”; Aquila εἰς τὸ νῖκος “to the victory”
Thirtle’s theory
“for the chief musician” and following prepositional phrase(s) serve as a subscription: See Habakkuk 3. This is a conjecture on the part of Waltke. The superscriptions in the manuscript traditions are superscriptions not subscriptions.
Redaction history of the Psalter
There is no doubt that these Psalms were original, independent compositions, but it probably did not take long for them to be put into collections.
- Book I 1-41 (Amen and Amen)
- Book II 42-72 (The prayers of David, son of Jesse, are ended)
- Book III 73-89 (Blessed be Yahweh forever Amen and Amen)
- Book IV 90-106 (v. 48 (Heb) has the word Amen: and all the people will say Amen3, Halleluiah)
- Book V 107-150 (Halleluiah). Most scholars see Books I-III as the core of the collection that was fixed from an early time (Hill and Walton; Flint, 2013). The debate over when books IV-V were added to books I-III continues due to the evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
External Evidence (for redaction history of the psalter)
- Dead Sea Scrolls
a. 4QMMT – [The Writings] of David
b. 11Q13 – Songs of David (בשׁירי דויד )
c. 4Q491 fr. 17, l. 4 – The Book of Psalms (ספר התהלים ) - NT Evidence
a. Luke 24:44 – The Psalms
b. Acts 13:33 – Psalm Two is already called the second Psalm
c. Numerous citations of the Psalter in the NT and outside indicate the canonicity of this book from an early time.
MT (Internal Evidence for redaction history of the psalter)
- The Masoretic Text Tradition (MT-150 Psalter)
a. Aleppo Codex 930 AD
b. Precursors to the MT-150 (Proto-MT)
i. MasPsa and MasPsb (25 BC). The provenance of these materials is probably the temple of Jerusalem. When the people fled Jerusalem and ran to Masada in 70 AD, the people would have brought their texts from Jerusalem with them.
ii. Qumran fragments. Many smaller fragments from Qumran cannot confirm the order of the Psalms but they can confirm a proto-MT text type at Qumran.
c. Conclusion. The Aleppo codex evinces that the same text as MasPsa was transmitted very conservatively over an almost 1000 year history. There are no major textual variants between these texts and the poetic stichometry of the Aleppo codex. These data from Masada, identical texts and stichometries, evidence the great antiquity of the MT tradition, for even the poetic reading of the MT tradition stretches to a time before Jesus. In addition, all sides agree that MasPsb witnesses to a Psalter which did not have the non-canonical Psalm 151.
The LXX Psalter (internal evidence for redaction history of the psalter)
- The MT Text Tradition
a. Translated from a proto-MT text between 200-180 BC.
b. Textual Character of LXX. Although the Superscriptions vary from MT, in general the translation represents a faithful rendering of the proto-MT with a relative few significant variants. No one has seriously suggested that the LXX represents a different edition of the Psalter than the one preserved in MT.
c. No “macro-variants” from MT Psalter.
d. Conclusion. The LXX Psalter is essentially the same as the MT Psalter, and as such it is the earliest evidence for this 5 book Psalter. Therefore, MT, Masada, and LXX (minus Psalm 151) attest essentially to the same Psalter, which would have been read and used in the temple of Jerusalem in the mid-late second temple period.
The Qumran Psalters (internal evidence for redaction history of the psalter)
There are 41 scrolls from Qumran. Many of these fragments of scrolls support the MT-150 Psalter on the textual level, but these are too fragmentary to offer insight into what the form of the Psalter at Qumran looked like.
Internal evidence for redaction history of the psalter
- MT
- The LXX Psalter
- The Qumran Psalters
- The Debate over the 11QPsa Psalter
Flint suggests three Scriptural editions were in play at Qumran:
- -Edition I: An early edition of the Psalter that was mostly stabilized, beginning with Psalms 1 or 2 and ending with Psalm 89 (the cutoff point is not certain). The earliest and most complete example is 4QPsa, which preserves text from Psalms 5-71.
- -Edition IIa: The 11QPsa-Psalter, consisting of Edition I plus the Psalms 101-151 as found in the Great Psalms Scroll, and including at least Psalm 93. It is attested by at least three manuscripts (11QPsa, 4QPse, and 11QPsb) with common arrangements of key compositions or blocks of material.
- -Edition IIb: The MT-150 Psalter.
The Debate over the 11QPsa Psalter
Peter Flint has summarized James Sanders’ “Qumran Psalms Hypothesis” under the four following theses:
(1) Gradual Stabilization: 11QPsa witnesses to a Psalter that was being gradually stabilized from beginning to end.
(2) Textual Affiliations: Two or more Psalters are represented among the scrolls from the Judaean desert. (Flint claims there’s now evidence for 3 editions of psalter and additional collections)
(3) Status: 11QPsa contains the latter part of a true scriptural Psalter. It is not a secondary collection that is dependent upon Psalms 1-150 as found in the Received Text.
(4) Provenance: 11QPsa was compiled at Qumran, and thus may be termed the “Qumran Psalter.”
Response to these 4 reasons
(1) It is not clear whether all the Psalms predate the Qumran period. Do David’s Compositions predate Qumran?
(2) This is an argument a silencio. Particular terminology does not need to be present for a composition to be considered sectarian.
(3) The expanded orthography could be an indicator of Qumran provenance. This proves nothing in either direction.
(4) Though I searched high and low for evidence of Flint’s claim that the 364-day solar calendar is not peculiar to the Essenes, there was too much evidence to the contrary. Scholars such as Geza Vermes, Roger Beckwith, and Jonathan Ben-Dov argue that the 11QPsa Psalter reflects the peculiar 364-day solar calendar.
