Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry: 1 Kings
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
The narratives of Solomon and Jeroboam, of Elijah and Ahab, have fascinated readers for millennia. Even apart from questions of historical authenticity, they are gripping stories of richly drawn characters caught up in the complex tale of God’s dealings with Israel. This study explores the narrative world created by 1 Kings’ ancient Israelite author: the people who inhabit it, the lives they live, the deeds they do, and the face of God who is revealed in their stories.
An introduction explains the significance of 1 Kings as a historical narrative. Originally intended as a literal history, after centuries of writing and rewriting it is now as much a literary work as a historical one: the views of those who formed it can be discerned and studied. Walsh also explains how the rich traditions of Hebrew prose narrative and the Hebrew language itself affect our reading of 1 Kings.
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- Explains the significance of 1 Kings as a historical narrative
- Explores how the Hebrew language affects the reading of 1 Kings
- Includes diverse theological and theoretical perspectives
Top Highlights
“Elijah is more than an obedient servant; this episode makes clear that he speaks a divine word of power with full authorization, and that obedience to Elijah—spotlighted by the variation in the command-and-compliance pattern from ‘your word’ (v. 13) to ‘Elijah’s word’ (v. 15)—is equivalent to obedience to Yahweh. The reader and, as verse 16 makes clear, the narrator recognize the source of Elijah’s authority.” (Page 234)
“The question itself stresses the word ‘here,’ continuing the narrator’s insistence on the importance of place: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ The emphasis means that Yahweh expects Elijah to be somewhere else, not at Horeb. This confirms our suspicion that the ‘journey’ for which Yahweh’s messenger fortified Elijah was not a pilgrimage to Horeb but a return to his ‘way,’ that is, to his work as a prophet in Israel. Elijah’s decision to come to Horeb was his own, and therefore embodies a continuing refusal to take up once again his prophetic duties.” (Page 272)
“Yahweh’s words express a sense of purpose: ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab, so that I may send rain on the earth.’ Elijah’s audience with the king is not simply to inform him of the impending end of the drought. It is somehow a necessary step toward accomplishing that result, though why that should be the case is not made clear.” (Page 237)
“The continuing emphasis on location throughout this scene makes us conscious that in verse 13b the prophet is not standing where Yahweh told him to. ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ means ‘Why are you still hiding in the cave, Elijah? Why are you not standing on the mountain before me as my servant?’” (Page 277)
The author is able to engage the more sophisticated scholar with fresh and interesting insights into the narrative of 1 Kings. The book is ‘user friendly’ in the sense that it begins with a primer on narrative criticism that sets forth basic terminology and methodology. In the body of the commentary, arguments grounded on the grammar and structure of the Hebrew text are usually explained clearly in non-technical style. . . . The exposition is clear. The conclusions are usually believable and argued convincingly. The author handles his methodology with skill. . . . This is a well-crafted and highly serviceable commentary.
—Richard D. Nelson, associate dean for academic affairs and W. J. A. Power Professor for Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament Introduction, Perkins School of Theology
Jerome T. Walshg was professor of Old Testament at the University of Botswana and the University of Dallas. He has also authored Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative and Old Testament Narrative: A Guide to Interpretation.
