Poetry of the Old Testament

Use this forum to discuss the August 2019 Book of the month, "I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation: Old Testament Stories" by Val D. Greenwood.
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nooregano
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Re: Poetry of the Old Testament

Post by nooregano »

The Psalms are beautiful, but maybe they didn't suit the purpose the author had.
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Post by kali09 »

Psalms is such a beautiful, raw book. The anguish, the sorrow, the joyful praise... I wish there was a way the author could have included it, but I think it might have interrupted the narrative flow. I understand the decision to keep the poetry out of the book.
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Post by V 1 5 »

Sam_Ibeh wrote: 02 Aug 2019, 08:04 Well in the context of the book, Val D. Greenwood was telling stories of events that happened in the Old Testament. Since the poetry books didn't quite convey actual events, it was okay to leave them out.
Agree, there are different kinds of books in the Bible. For the purpose of narrating the events in the OT, it's not necessary for me to include the poetic books.
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Post by HeatherEi »

I can understand why he would have left them out. But it would have been neat if he would have inserted some of the Psalms of David through the narrative about David.
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Post by AdamRedWolf »

The literature of the old testament plays a big part in the story. The 'why' of how it was written unveils a lot about the history itself. I agree with you, the Psalms and SoS are both very important and paint clear pictures of the culture in relation to the history of the OT.
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Post by tkpumpkin »

I can't believe he left out Song of Solomon! This book is a story. Not only that; it's one of the most profound love stories ever written! I don't know what he was thinking.....Psalms I understand, since the intention of the author was to recap the stories only....but Song of Solomon is a story!
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Post by Kabui-nj »

The context of the book was not about poetry but about Bible stories which include people's life. Psalms and Songs of Solomon would not have added anything to this book in my opinion.
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Post by Once_a_reader »

The book narrates stories that feature in the old testament. The poetry books, although educational, do not highlight significant events that could translate to story form. Hence, I support the author's decision to leave them out
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Post by Hannalore »

Well, this book is not poetic because the Bible stories are generally not poetic. Psalms and Son of Solomon which are poetic don't contribute the initial stories of creation.
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Post by A++ »

Yes, of course, there is not any other clearer way of expressing romanticism than the religious love.
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Post by Ivana Tomaš »

Although poetry may not be able to tell the story to a great extent, such as the Psalms, I personally like to read them.
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Post by Renu G »

The Psalms are an important aspect of the history of the people. They convey their deepest emotions. I think the author should have included them.
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

ivana7 wrote: 25 Sep 2019, 06:06 Although poetry may not be able to tell the story to a great extent, such as the Psalms, I personally like to read them.
I agree. I like to read some of them and I'm not even religious!
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Post by Amanda Stueve Pense »

mmm17 wrote: 03 Aug 2019, 19:01 It is a controversial decision -- no doubt about that. The poetry books, especially Psalms and Proverbs, are easy to read and understand; they are relatable and appealing to most readers. However, they do not recount stories per se. That might have been the reason.
It does seem like a controversial decision. The Psalms don't convey "events" per se, and yet they are the capitulation of the entire Biblical drama- the fall and rise of Israel, the enmity and struggle between the Righteous and the Reprobate, the choice of all men between light and darkness. They don't describe events, but boy do they tell a story.
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Post by Karina Nowak »

The Psalms and Song of Solomon may not have a direct storyline but it does contribute to others. The book seems to work without it but I would have found a way to reference it.
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