OT 700, Brief Syllabus Hebrew Exegesis Trinity School for Ministry Ambridge, PA June 4–14, 2018 Dr. Byron G. Curtis, MDiv, PhD office: 724-847-6703 3719 College Avenue home: 724-847-3854 Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania 15010 bgcurtis@geneva.edu

Tehillim (Psalms) by Moses Judah Leib ben Wolf Borda, 1723

Welcome to OT 700, Hebrew Exegesis. 3 Credits. Version 4/2/2018 Martin Luther wrote:

Let us be clear on this: we are not likely to retain the Gospel without the languages. The languages are the scabbards in which the sword of the Spirit is held. They are the keg in which this drink is kept. They are the pantry in which this food is stored. . . . Therefore it is certain that where the languages do not remain, the Gospel itself will ultimately perish. (from the tractate To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools (1524), Luther's Works, Muhlenberg Press, 45: 357–66.

In your studies you have begun to avert the disaster that Luther had to recover from: the near loss of the biblical languages in the ministry of the Western Church. Now let's press that recovery further by doing exegesis in the Hebrew Bible. Course Goals: by the end of this class, successful students will have achieved these aims:

1. Increase working vocabulary (a) by refining the nuances of meaning of current vocabulary words and (b) by learning new words;

2. Increase understanding of the forms and syntax of Hebrew verbs: a. the regular verb (= “strong” verb); b. selected irregular verbs (= “weak” verbs, defective verbs); c. the syntax of prepositions used with verbs.

3. Gain familiarity with the Hebrew Bible’s use of numerals. 4. Increase competence in identifying the literary genres of the Hebrew Bible, and

understanding their implications for exegesis and Christian theology. 5. Acquire competency in using standard reference grammars and advanced lexicons; 6. Acquire an understanding of the textual history of the Hebrew Bible including the

Masoretic contributions and the textual apparatus; 7. Gain a greater working knowledge of Hebrew syntax, grammar, and the exceptions to

grammatical rules.

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Objectives: in order to achieve these goals, students will: 1. Review the knowledge and skills mastered in introduction to Hebrew; 2. Responsibly translate and exegete representative examples of Hebrew texts including

narrative, legal material, poetry, prophetic material, and wisdom literature. Outcomes: as a result of this class, students will be able to move responsibly from exegesis to christocentric understanding and contemporary implications of OT passages. The general set of learning outcomes Trinity School for Ministry desires for each of our graduates includes the following:

1. The student will recognize and identify the biblical theology evident in the course work. 2. The student will be able to articulate an Anglican understanding of biblical, historical,

systematic, and pastoral theology. 3. The student will be able to effectively communicate the Christian message to a diversity

of people in order to advance the mission of God. 4. MDiv. The student will be prepared to effectively lead in a variety of Christian

communities. MAR: The student will be equipped to apply scholarship to the life of the church in his or her chosen theological discipline.STM: The student will be equipped to successfully pursue further independent research and post-graduate study in his or her chosen theological discipline.

This course furthers all four of these goals, but it makes a particular contribution in helping students to articulate a biblical theological understanding of the Old Testament (1) and effectively communicate an often ignored or misunderstood portion of scripture (the OT) to a diversity of people in diverse ministry settings (3,4). Assessment of learning outcomes:

1. Participate in daily class discussions on translation, interpretation, and exegesis; 2. Turn in daily study reports; 3. Take daily quizzes on Hebrew grammar and vocabulary; 4. Take a final exam.

Course description This course meets for two weeks, June 4–14, 2018, meeting Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week from 8:30–noon, and then 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. There is no class on Fridays. We begin the class each morning with morning prayer. Attendance is required. This is an exegesis course in biblical Hebrew. Texts are selected from various portions of the Old Testament in order to expose students to the various genres in the Hebrew Bible. We will read Hebrew narrative, legal material, prophetic oracles, poetry, and wisdom literature. Selections follow the intermediate textbook by Ehud Ben Zvi (see the schedule below). Emphasis will be on responsibly applying exegetical principles to the various OT genres and on expanding working knowledge of vocabulary and syntax.

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Required Course Texts and Study Aids: 1. BHS

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1990). 978-34380-52186, $79.99, Tan Cloth, Large Print; or 978-15985-61623, $39.99, Paperback. Note: Even if you have Bibleworks 7, you will still need a copy of BHS since Bibleworks 7 does not include the text-critical apparatus.

2. A Biblical Hebrew lexicon. Choose one or more of these: HALOT, Holladay, BDB, or Clines. Note: Bibleworks 7 includes Holladay’s lexicon, so you may have one already. a. HALOT: it’s vast and erudite. Two large volumes.

The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Edited by Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner. Translated by M.E.J. Richardson. Two volumes. (Leiden: Brill Academic, 2002). 978-90041-24455, $256.00

b. Holladay: A handy abridgement of HALOT. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Holladay), William L. Holladay (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971.) Note: This volume is an abridgement of an earlier edition of HALOT. 978-08028-34133, $40.00

c. BDB, from 1913. Corrected a bit in 1953. Arranged by root. Very useful: Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and C.A. Briggs. (Hendricksen edition). ISBN: 1565632060. Or (same book) The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. 978-15656-32066, $34.95.

d. D.J.A. Clines, editor. Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009. Includes all extant Hebrew from sources of the first millennium BC. Paperback: ISBN-10: 1906055793. ISBN-13: 978-1906055790. Hardback: ASIN: B01M25SOUT

3. Our organizing textbook: Ehud Ben Zvi, Margaret Hancock, and Richard Beinert. Readings

in Biblical Hebrew: An Intermediate Textbook. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993). ISBN 0-300-05573-0

4. Larry A. Mitchel. Student’s Vocabulary for Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Updated edition. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017). $11.55. ISBN-13: 978-0310533870

5. Bill T. Arnold and John H. Choi. A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Cambridge: University Press, 2003). 978-05215-33485. $21.99.

6. Douglas Stuart. Old Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors 4th ed. (Westminster/John Knox, 2009). 978-06642-33449 $25.00.

7. J. Weingreen, A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew (London: Oxford University

Press, 1978). ISBN: 978-0-1981-5422-8, $59.95 (list). Can be downloaded for free: www.scribd.com/doc/21219644/Weingreen-J-Practical-Grammar-for-Classical-Hebrew (will also be available on Edv 360)

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Strongly Recommended, especially if student plans on pursuing doctoral work in the OT: 8. Bruce Waltke and M. O’Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. (Winona Lake:

Eisenbrauns, 1990) 978-09314-64317 $59.50.

Standard Reference Tools on Reserve in the Library (all worth owning) 1. Robert B. Chisolm. From Exegesis to Exposition: A Practical Guide to Using Biblical

Hebrew (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988). 2. W. Gesenius. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910)

tr. A.E. Cowley. 3. Paul Jouon. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (2 vols.) (Roma: Editrice Pontificio Instituto

Biblico, 1991), tr. T Muraoka. 4. Ronald Williams. Hebrew Syntax: An Outline. 3rd ed. (Toronto: University of Toronto,

2007) 978-08020-94292, $27.95. 5. T. Muraoka. Emphatic Words and Structures in Biblical Hebrew (Jerusalem and Leiden:

Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, E.J. Brill, 1985). 6. Christo H.J. Van der Merwe, Jackie A. Naude and Jan H. Kroeze. A Biblical Hebrew

Reference Grammar. Biblical Languages: Hebrew 3. (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999).

7. Bruce Waltke & M. O'Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990).

Course Requirements and Grading System Daily Study Report: Each day students will be expected to complete a daily study report, a summary on that day's assignment. The summary includes these items:

a. your translation of the assigned Hebrew text for the day; b. your parsing of the verbs, c. interaction with issues in grammar, syntax, interpretation, or literature as assigned.

Students are to bring in two copies of the completed study guide each day: one to hand in to the professor, and one to use during our class discussion. Students should include a brief discussion of the significant grammatical, syntactical, or lexical points of the passage gleaned from reading three commentaries each day. Ben Zvi’s text counts as a commentary. In your report, be sure to note the name and author of the commentaries that you used. 40 points each. 40 x 8 = 320 points. 30% of grade Daily Quizzes: Each day there will be an afternoon quiz on one or more vocabulary lists from Larry Mitchel’s Student’s Vocabulary for Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic; and on one or more verb paradigms. If your Hebrew gears are rusty, start some repair work now. Quizzes are about 40 points each. 40 x 8 = 320 points. 30% of grade. Final Exam: The final exam will be available at the library desk from Monday, June 18 through Friday June 22, 2018. The exam is to be completed in the library at the location designated by the librarian.

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Students have 3 hours to complete the exam. Students may bring one lexicon to the exam; no other helps permitted. More specifics regarding the exam will be given in class. About 320 points. 30% of grade. Participation: Your final grade will be affected by morning prayer and class attendance and your preparedness for each class. “Preparedness” means three things:

a. you’ve addressed all parts of the assigned work; b. you’ve completed your written translation with reasonable proposals, or are prepared

to ask intelligent questions about the parts that mystify you; c. you’ve successfully parsed all the required forms in the text, or are prepared to ask

intelligent questions about the forms you could not fathom. 100 points. 10% of grade. No absences are allowed during this two-week intensive. If you know ahead of time that you are unable to attend class each day for the 2 weeks, please do not register for the class.

“Carpet Page” from Codex Leningradensis,

the oldest known complete Hebrew Bible, 1008 AD

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Tentative Schedule, OT 700 Hebrew Exegesis, June 2018

Week One Quiz # Mitchel’s List Verb Paradigm: See Weingreen’s grammar June 4 Quiz #1 lists 1.A–B Qal (=Pa‘al) perfect, r.m.v

1 Samuel 1:1–28 —the prophet Samuel’s birth story June 5 Quiz #2 lists 1.C–D Qal imperfect, r.m.v

AM: 2 Kings 14:23–29 —the regnal report of King Jeroboam II PM: Exodus 1:28–36 —Israel in Egypt

June 6 Quiz #3 list 2.A–B Qal active & passive participles, r.m.v + Qal imperatives, infinitives, r.m.v

AM: Leviticus 5:20–26 (MT verse #s) —priestly ritual for crimes of fraud and theft PM: Deuteronomy 24:14–22 —what to do about a bull that gores

June 7 Quiz #4 list 2.C Niph’al verb, perfect & imperfect, r.m.v

AM: Jeremiah 22:1–5 —exhortation to the kings of Judah PM: Ezekiel 37:1–14 —vision report: the valley of dry bones

Week Two June 11 Quiz #5 list 2.D Pi’el perfect & imperfect, r.b.d or r.b.v

AM: Isaiah 49:1–6 —poem of the Servant of the Lord PM: Proverbs 3:13–26 —a poem on the blessedness of wisdom

June 12 Quiz #6 list 2.E Hiph’il perfect & imperfect, K.l.m or l.d.g

AM: Proverbs 10:1; 16:8; 22:22–23; 24:29; 25:28—individual proverbs PM: Qohelet [=Ecclesiastes] 1:1–11 —poem on hevel (=vanity?)

June 13 Quiz #7 list 3.A Hithpa‘el perfect & imperfect, l.l.p or l.d.g

Psalm 1 —a Torah psalm Psalm 15 —an entrance liturgy into the Temple

June 14 Quiz #8 list 3.B Irregular verbs: See forthcoming guide:

h.y.h/h.a.r b.w.v/a.w.b N.t.n r.m.a/l.k.a AM: Psalm 150 —the Psalter’s climax of praise PM: Review

Week Three: June 18–23: The Final Exam, in the library

The Washington Megillah: Scroll of the Book of Esther.

Italian, 18th century