Podcast 38, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job,’ Ch 24.

Podcast 38, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job,’ Ch 24.

Since one of my purposes is to share with my reader how the ancient Hebrews would read the Old Testament, please allow me to use Chapter 24 of Job as another model.

In addition to the forms of parallelism such as Climatic, Antithetical, Chiastic, Synonymous, Synthetic, and Step Parallelism, sometimes the prophets taught by using question and answer. Such a format provides the structure for the poem or prophecy or scripture. For example, in Job 24, Job begins by asking his friends a question.

Job 24:1

“Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?”

The question is filled with irony because Job is chastising his friends for not seeing the hand of God though that is exactly what they pretend to do. They rather arrogantly presumed to tell Job that God is punishing him for his wickedness. Job is reminding his friends that they may pretend to know God, whereas in reality they don’t know God. How is it then that if they don’t know God, do they pretend to “see his days?” The Book of Job is a debate. Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar are incompetent before Job. It is three against one, but Job is always victorious. 

The question and answer format is common in the Holy Bible. As a reminder read Malachi chapter three. Malachi poses three questions.

Question One

Malachi 3:1-2

 1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

Question Two

Malachi 3:8

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Question Three

Malachi 3:13

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

The bulk of Malachi 3 is devoted to answering those questions. Question and answer is a common rhetorical device in the Holy Scriptures. That gives us the overall framework for understanding Job 24. 

The answer is organized using Chiastic Parallelism: A1 B1-- B2 A2. It is also by the use of parallelism that we can discern what verses constitute A1 & B1, B2 & A2, For example, A1 uses Step Parallelism. Each verse uses the same rhetorical pattern. A2 uses Synonymous Parallelism. Each verse has synonyms compatible with the other verses. B1 & B2 both use Synonymous Parallelism.

However, A2 is antithetical to A1 and B2 is antithetical to B1. That is to say that are opposites, light vs dark for example. The above, of course, appears complicated because as English speakers and writers, we have developed our own rhetorical patterns. We use outlines and thesis statements and topic sentences and headings, etc. Good writers try to make their prose as easy as possible to read. 

Just as English composition is familiar to us, Parallelism would have been just as familiar to the Ancient Hebrews. They did not use periods and commas and headings and outlines. Those were naturally built into the parallel structures.