The Ancient Near East:Hyperbolic Speech in Scripture

a strange greeting….

“You have extremely honored me

by coming into my abode.

I am not worthy of it.

This house is yours;

you may burn it if you wish…

a strange greeting…

…My children are

also at your disposal;

I would sacrifice them all

for your pleasure.”*

*Abraham Rihbany, The Syrian Christ

Things to know…

• Scripture is embedded in its native culture

• Writers from a different culture

• The Bible uses ANE writing conventions

If anyone comes to Me,

and does not hate his own

father and mother and wife

and children and brothers

and sisters, yes, and even his own life,

he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:26 NASB

modern outlooks

Does Scripture teach us to hate?

Everyone who hates his brother

is a murderer; and you know

that no murderer has eternal life

abiding in him.

1 John 3:15

Hyperbole

As in Modern Semitic cultures, ANE cultures made heavy use of hyperbole.

Hyperbole – exaggerated or extravagant terms used for emphasis and not intended to be understood literally; self-conscious exaggeration.*

R.A. Lanham, A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, 2nd ed.

Speaking of hyperbole, one Christian writer notes:

“…this is simply reflective of typical "extremist" expression of the period… which is only extremist from our "moderate" perspective and social world.”*

James P. Holding, Are insults and satire "un-Christian"?

Ramses III

“I slew the Denyon in

their islands, while the Tjekker

and Philistines were made ashes.

The Sherden and the Washesh

of the sea were made non-existent…”

Ramses III

“…[they were] captured

all together and brought

on captivity to Egypt like

the sands of the shore.”*

* Moshe & Trude Dothan, Peoples of the Sea, 27

another Bible verse…

He captured Agag the king

of the Amalekites alive,

and utterly destroyed all

the people with the

edge of the sword.

1 Samuel 15:8

Questions to ponder…

Does the Bible mean what it says?

Which parts can I trust?

Any deeper significance?

Questions to ponder…

Yes, but it uses ANE conventions

Which parts can I trust?

Any deeper significance?

Questions to ponder…

Yes, but it uses ANE conventions

With few exceptions, all of them

Any deeper significance?

Questions to ponder…

Yes, but it uses ANE conventions

With few exceptions, all of them

Luke 14:26 in context

Luke 14:26 in context

“[But] this point hardly diminishes

the offensiveness of this saying

in a society where honor

of parents was considered

virtually the highest obligation…”

Luke 14:26 in context

“…and one’s family was usually

one’s greatest joy….in Jewish

tradition, only God openly

demanded such wholesale

devotion as Jesus claims here.”*

*Craig S. Keener, The IVP Background Commentary

If anyone comes to Me,

and does not hate his own

father and mother and wife

and children and brothers

and sisters, yes, and even his own life,

he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:26

Did you notice…?

Semitic use of hyperbole?

The oppositional treatment between God and the family unit?

That Jesus expected a commitment only reserved for God?

Have a Merry Christmas