Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament
REL 310
Study Topics and Assignments
Week 4 : Psalms 1 - 41
Class Notes
- page 264 - "Abimelech" as a dynastic title for the kings of Gath :
"Abimelech" is Hebrew for "my father - king" so it might well have been a name given by the previous king to whichever of his sons he designated as heir to the throne.
"Ab" means father; the "-i" makes it "my father"; "melech" means king.
Hebrew and other Semitic languages differ from English in the way they use verbs, so to make sense of a Hebrew sentence we often have to put in "is". - "Community" laments, thanksgivings, and songs of praise are intended for use by a group of people, so use "we" and "us"
"Personal" laments, thanksgivings, and songs of praise are intended for use by one person, so use "I" and "me"
Didactic or Wisdom Psalms give instruction in right attitudes and the right way to live
Scripture Readings :
- Psalms 1 - 41
- 1 Samuel 19:1-17, 21:10-22:5, 23:6-24:22, 26:1-27:4
- 2 Samuel 11:1-18:33
Textbook Readings :
- Chapter 10, pages 215 - 231
- Chapter 11, pages 233 - 255
- Chapter 12, pages 257 - 276
InterNet Resources
This Week's Assignment : Twenty Questions
As most of your answers will be from the textbook, you do not need to use Turnitin for this Assignment
- According to the textbook, which two fundamental doctrines of the Old Testament does the Book of Psalms focus upon
- According to the textbook, where is true happiness to be found
- According to the textbook, what is the dominant theme of Psalms 3-7 ? Write out a verse which illustrates this theme
- According to the textbook, which are the 7 Penitential Psalms. Write out a verse from one of them to illustrate this theme
- According to the textbook, to which group of Psalms (other than Messianic) does Psalm 22 belong. Name 5 others in this group. Write out a verse from Psalm 22 to illustrate the characteristics of the group
- Discuss the parallels between Psalm 22 and the accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus
- Write an account of the events which probably led to the setting of Psalm 32 (2 Samuel 11:1-12:15). Write out a verse of the Psalm which would fit this setting
- According to the textbook, what is the issue with which Psalm 37 grapples. Write out a verse of the Psalm which illustrates this issue
- Write an account of the events which probably led to the setting of Psalms 38 & 39. (2 Samuel 12:7-12, 13:1-39, 14:21-28, 14:33-18:33).
- Write out a verse from each of Psalms 38 & 39 which would fit the setting suggested by the textbook
- Write out a verse from each of Psalms 40 & 41 which would fit the setting suggested by the textbook
- From Psalm 1 : Write out one example of synonymous parallelism, and one example of antithetic parallelism. Write the examples in a form which demonstrates the parallelism
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Messianic Psalm, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Community Song of Praise, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Community Lament, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Personal Thanksgiving, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Personal Lament, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Didactic or Wisdom Psalm, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- From Psalms 1-41, choose one which could be described as a Royal Psalm, and write out a verse to illustrate your answer
- Using Psalm 23 as a model, choose some other occupation than shepherd to describe the Lord, and compose the first three verses of a "psalm"
Remember to cite any sources you use
Use MSWord or a text editor such as Notepad to prepare and save your work, then send it as an Attachment to, or pasted into, an email message to Dr. Rollinson at rollinsondr@yahoo.com,rollinsondr@hellokitty.com,rollinsondr@mail2world.com.
Please use all 3 email addresses in case any of the mailboxes go down.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
