Ancient Hebrew Poetry

The Great Arraignment: Isaiah 1:2-20

    The opening diatribe of the book of Isaiah (1:2-20) is remarkable for its searing rhetoric, yet it concludes by offering a return to prosperity should the people and leaders of Judah heed the word of their God. The speech begins with a call to heaven and earth to act as witnesses and a summary brief against the nation (verses 2-3). It ends with an appeal to reach a settlement and a conditional offer of rehabilitation (verses 18-20).

For a discussion of the poetry, rhetoric, and history of interpretation of this passage, a scansion, new translation, and more, go to:

Isa 1_2-20_Poetry.pdf

Isa 1 2-20_Rhetoric.pdf

Isa 1 2-20_History_of_Interpretation.pdf

Isa_1_2-20_Scansion.pdf

Isa_1_2-20_Scansions_with_prosodic_notations_only.pdf

Isa_1_2-20_Reconstructed_original_orthography.pdf

Isa_1_2-20_A_new_translation.pdf

 Isa_1_2-20_A_bilingual_edition.pdf

Isa_1_2-3_A_commentary.pdf

    The book of Isaiah is a logical point of departure for a study of ancient Hebrew poetry. Robert Lowth had this to say in his Lecture XXI delivered at Oxford in the 1740’s:

Isaiah, the first of the prophets, both in order and dignity, abounds in such transcendent excellences, that he may be properly said to afford the most perfect model of prophetic poetry. He is at once elegant and sublime, forcible and ornamented; he unites energy with copiousness, and dignity with variety. In his  sentiments there is uncommon elevation and majesty; in his imagery, the utmost propriety, elegance, dignity, and diversity; in his language, uncommon beauty and energy; and, notwithstanding the obscurity of his subjects, a surprising degree of clearness and simplicity.

(Robert Lowth, Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews: From the Latin of the late Robert Lowth, by G. Gregory; to which are added the principal notes of Professor Michaelis and notes by the translator and others [London: J. Johnson, 1787; repr. of the 4^th Eng. ed. (London: T. Tegg, 1839), Whitefish MT: Kessinger, 2004] 228)

Glossary and Definitions

    The terminology used in my posts to describe how ancient Hebrew poetry works has been used by others in a variety of ways. I also make use of linguistic terms unfamiliar to most.

    Click here for a discussion of key terms like "poetry," "prose," "meter," and "rhythm," and a guide to linguistic terminology: glossary_and_definitions.pdf

By the Rivers of Babylon: Psalm 137

    "By the Rivers of Babylon" (Psalm 137) tells a poignant story. The parallelisms the poet makes use of crisscross the text without regard to the confines of individual poetic lines. Does the poem adhere to the general rule and the length rule? See for yourself.

Go to: Psalm 137 Scansion.pdf
Psalm_137_new_translation.pdf

The Song of the Vineyard: Isaiah 5:1-7

The Song of the Vineyard is a splendid piece of poetry. For a scansion and new translation, go to:

Isa_5_1-7_Scansion.pdf

Isa_5_1-7_A new translation.pdf

Isa_5_1-7_A_bilingual_edition.pdf

Controversy surrounds the question of genre or genres represented by Isa 5:1-7. In my view, a barrier to understanding is created by the false expectation that prophetic speech will adhere to conventions beyond its own in a sustained and predictable fashion. It is instead the case that prophetic discourse exploits whatever genres and topoi serve its purposes without reproducing them in full or slavishly following them. 

Isa 5:1-7 illustrate the point. 5:1-2 exploit the conventions of narrative song, whereas 5:3-6 build on the preceding with an unexpected switch to the language and themes of a lawsuit. 5:7 interprets 1-6 as a parable. The unit as a whole functions as an accusation of wrongdoing and a prediction of woe. 

A great deal of nonsense has been written about the meter of this poem. Wildberger supposes that 5:1-3 instantiates the 3:2 meter characteristic of the lament form as preserved, e.g., in Lam 1-4. But he obtains a 3:2 meter throughout by arbitrary additions and subtractions to the natural rhythm of the text.[1] שִׁירַת דּוֹדִי לְכַרְמוֹ  is given two beats only. The iambic-anapestic rhythm typical of ancient Hebrew is set aside. וַיְעַזְּקֵהוּ וַיְסַקְּלֵהוּ is given three beats by double-beating the second word. This is arbitrary: why double-beat one and not the other? Why either?  חָצֵב בּוֹ  in וְגַם־יֶקֶב חָצֵב בּוֹ is given a single beat in accordance with a ‘no two stresses in a row’ rule. But this rule is far from established, and goes against the practice of the Masoretes. I argue elsewhere that the rule is an overgeneralization.[2] The decliticization of נָּא throughout the poem cannot be ruled out from first principles, but neither can it be considered a given. In light of the above, 3 of 7 lines only in 5:1-3 securely exhibit a 3:2 rhythm. The other lines are more naturally read in other ways. 

Williamson rightly debunks the suggestion that the qinah rhythm hints at the pericope’s final denouement. “[S]uch a rhythm,” he points out, is by no means restricted to laments.”[3] As demonstrated above, the notion that 5:1-3 instantiates qinah meter is itself problematic. 

It is possible to scan the first line of 5:5 as a bipartite line as Williamson does.[4] It would make for a tighter construction, but in order to obtain it, an unusual double-cliticization must be posited. The frequency and conditions under which double-cliticization occurs are not well-understood. Until they are, a final judgment is impossible.

Go to: Isa_5_1-7_A_brief_introduction.pdf  for a printable version of this post

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[1] Hans Wildberger, Jesaja: 1. Teilband: Jesaja 1-12 (BKAT 10/1; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, ²1980 [1972]) 166.

[2] “Retaining and Transcending the Classical Description,” http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient_hebrew_poetry/files/retaining_and_transcending_the_classical_description.pdf.

[3] H. G. M. Williamson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27. Volume 1. Commentary on Isaiah 1-5 (ICC; London: T & T Clark, 2006) 326.

[4] Isaiah 1-5, 316.

Ancient Hebrew Poetry in Translation

    Translating poetry from one language to another is a daunting task - especially if one aims to put poetry in one language into poetry in another. The process requires close attention to the nuances of words and constructions in both languages. It requires sensitivity to the orchestration of sound, rhythm, and meaning that is essential to poetry.

    With permission of the author, in this post I reproduce David Curzon's essay on translating the Psalms, his translations of Psalms 8, 13, 15, 19, 49, 114, 126, 131, 133, and 134, and a presentation and comment on his translation of the Testament of Jacob (Genesis 49:2-27) and Psalm 13.

Click here: Curzon_Translating_the_psalms.pdf

Curzon_Ten_psalms.pdf

Curzon_Gen_49_2-27_and_Ps_13.pdf