The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis-MalachiIn modern writing, various markers -- italics, bold type, punctuation, parentheses, and so forth -- are used to indicate emphasis and clarify meaning. The authors of the Old Testament could not rely on such devices since they lived in an oral culture. When their accounts were committed to writing, literary structure highlighted certain ideas and conveyed meaning and emphasis accurately. Unfortunately, as we read the Old Testament, we frequently overlook this inherent literary structure. David Dorsey provides a guide to the literary structure of the Old Testament, thus clarifying the meaning of each Old Testament book. -- |
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Abimelech Amos analysis arranged Assyria audience Babylon begins Biblical blessing Book of Amos Book of Judges book's Canaan central unit chaps chapters chiasmus chiastic Chiastic Structure Chron Chronicles coming judgment comprises conclusion condemnation David death Deuteronomy echo Edom Egypt enemies episode exhortation exile Exod Exodus Ezekiel final unit Genesis God's Hebrew Bible highlighted holy idolatry inclusio introduction Isaiah Israel Israelites Jacob Jeremiah Jerusalem Job's Jonah Joseph Joshua Judah Judges king land layout Levites linear literary unit matching units Moab Moses Naomi narrative nations next-to-last Old Testament oracles pattern praise prayer priests promise prophet Psalm punishment recounts reign repentance repetition righteous Ruth Samuel Saul scheme seven seven-part Shechem shift Sinai Solomon Song of Songs speech stanza story structure symmetric touch tabernacle temple theme third-to-last tion topic tribes turning point underscores unit's verses vision wicked words Yahweh young woman Zedekiah