Peer-review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book... more Peer-review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer-Review of Scholarly Books'. The book proposal form was evaluated by our Theological and Religious Studies editorial board. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer-review before publication by two technical expert reviewers who did not include the volume editor and were independent of the volume editor, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the editor(s) or author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher, editor(s) and author(s). The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's editor(s) or author(s) to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revision and improvements, the editor(s) or author(s) responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published. v Research justification Prayer is a major topic within Christian theology. The biblical text has various references to various recorded and reported prayers. In fact, references to prayer are found within the rich diversity of the various books, corpora and genres of Scripture. As can be expected, much has been written about prayer in the biblical text. However, a comprehensive Biblical Theology dealing with the concept of prayer in Scripture has not been published before. The current volume intends to fill this gap, assuming that such an approach can provide a valuable contribution to the theological discourse on prayer and related concepts. The current volume aims to investigate prayer and its related elementsincluding worship, praise, thanksgiving, adoration, petition, intercession, lament and confession-in the Old Testament on a book-by-book or corpus-by-corpus basis. A subsequent volume investigates prayer in the New Testament in a similar fashion. It concludes with a chapter that provides Biblical-Theological perspectives on prayer in Scripture as a whole based on the chapters' findings in these volumes. The investigation follows a Biblical-Theological approach, reading the Old Testament on a book-by-book basis in its final form to uncover the Old Testament's overarching theology of prayer, understanding the parts in relation to the whole. By doing this, the discrete nuances of the prayer of the different Old Testament books and corpora can be uncovered, letting the books and corpora speak for themselves. In addition, the advantage of this approach is that it provides findings that can benefit the modern Christian community and contributes to the practice of Reformed Theology in Africa. The various chapters of this volume are written by biblical scholars who are experts in their fields. As such, this volume represents scholarly discourse for scholars. The chapters of the volume follow the order of Old Testament books according to the Hebrew canon, with some of the biblical books investigated together as literary units. Apart from three chapters on the concept of prayer in the Psalms and one chapter covering prayer in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, one chapter each is devoted to prayer in the Pentateuch, the Former Prophets, the Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Job, Lamentations, Daniel and Chronicles. All chapters are original investigations with original results and were cleared of possible plagiarism by using iThenticate.
Although the book of Joshua is often read as being hostile to non-Israelites, this paper argues t... more Although the book of Joshua is often read as being hostile to non-Israelites, this paper argues that its concern is not with ethnicity but rather with the nature of someone's relationship to Yahweh. Understood against the wider narrative arc of the book, Joshua 24 thus becomes the point where this is explored in full. This then establishes a pattern that runs through the Former Prophets which consistently demonstrate the possibilities for foreigners within Israel. The means by which this is presented suggest that Joshua in particular is arguing against a dominant social model which is opposed to foreigners. From this, it can be seen that Joshua is establishing an ethical paradigm which is welcoming to those who commit to Yahweh.
2 Samuel 5–24 is here read as a literary unit that covers the whole of the reign of David over Is... more 2 Samuel 5–24 is here read as a literary unit that covers the whole of the reign of David over Israel and Judah. It is argued that there is an intentional rhetorical pattern that is evident in the literary structure of these chapters, and that the aim of the whole section is to suggest a positive assessment of the whole of David’s reign. This assessment is directed towards the exiles, offering hope because of the continuing validity of the promises to David.
Interpreting Deuteronomy: Issues and Approaches is the fruit of the 2011 Tyndale Fellowship Old T... more Interpreting Deuteronomy: Issues and Approaches is the fruit of the 2011 Tyndale Fellowship Old Testament Study Group and the third in a series of books devoted to current “issues and approaches” in OT books (following Interpreting the Psalms [2005] and Interpreting Isaiah [2009]). It is not intended to serve as an introduction to the book nor to engage with “scholarly minutiae,” but rather to “bridge the gap” between the two (p.14). This collection of essays thus assumes a basic knowledge of Deuteronomy and Deuteronomy scholarship and draws the reader deeper into the themes and issues found in this theologically rich book.
Though often read as a discrete poem, Psalm 100 is read within the context of Psalms 93-100 in th... more Though often read as a discrete poem, Psalm 100 is read within the context of Psalms 93-100 in this article. Such a reading helps expose how language, which had been rooted in warfare, has been transformed into the language of worship. The background in warfare is explored through intertextual links within this collection and then against the background provided by the book of Joshua as a sample text. As the conclusion to this collection within the Psalter, Psalm 100 transforms this language, so that Yahweh's kingship over all the earth is expressed not in the violence of conquest, but rather in the joyful submission of freely given worship.
Biblical Theology of Life in the Old Testament, 2021
where he taught Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology. His main fields of scholarly interest inc... more where he taught Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology. His main fields of scholarly interest include the history of Israelite religion, archaeology of Iron Age Israel and the pre-exilic prophets. He retired during 2020 and is currently a full-time minister.
Summary In this canonical and intertextual interpretation of Psalms 35-41 in light of Samuel, Beu... more Summary In this canonical and intertextual interpretation of Psalms 35-41 in light of Samuel, Beuken provides a close reading of these psalms, first in their relationship to one another and then to the presentation of David in Samuel. Although debate will continue over the issue of the significance of intertextual relationships, the volume provides a plausible and insightful reading of these psalms. Zusammenfassung Mit dieser kanonischen und intertextuellen Auslegung der Psalmen 35 bis 41 im Licht des Samuelbuches bietet Beuken eine textnahe Lesart jener Psalmen zunächst in ihrer Beziehung zueinander und dann hinsichtlich der Darstellung der Person Davids im Samuelbuch. Obwohl die Debatte über die Bedeutung intertextueller Beziehungen noch andauern wird, so liefert doch das Buch eine plausible und aufschlussreiche Auslegung dieser Psalmen. Résumé Dans cette interprétation canonique et intertextuelle des Psaumes 35-41 à la lumière de Samuel, Beuken propose une lecture serrée de ces p...
The relationship between questions of genre and history are here examined through the prism of th... more The relationship between questions of genre and history are here examined through the prism of the book of Esther, especially the question of the historicity of the figure of Mordecai as it has been assessed through three main periods. It is argued that decisions on the genre of the book of Esther have consistently predetermined the way in which any archaeological evidence has been read. Ideological criticism is therefore not only needed for the way in which both the biblical text and archaeological record are read, but also for the ways in which we bring these disciplines into dialogue with one another.
In Surrendering Retribution in the Psalms, David Firth examines the ways in which the editors of ... more In Surrendering Retribution in the Psalms, David Firth examines the ways in which the editors of the Psalms have provided a model of prayer and the surrender of the right of retribution to Yahweh as the appropriate way to respond to violence. This breaks fresh ground on the question of the ways in which the book of Psalms offers instruction. This instruction is then applied to the context of South Africa where he was working as a missionary when he wrote the original thesis. In this way, the continuing missiological significance of these Psalms is also explored.
Although the grammatical objections to the authenticity of A mos 9:11-15 have been addressed, the... more Although the grammatical objections to the authenticity of A mos 9:11-15 have been addressed, the theological ones have not. This paper attempts to address this problem by suggesting that the text functions at two levels. At an originally oral level, the promises of salvation that we find here would have been understood as polemic against the government of the northern kingdom since they assume that future prosperity is dependent on the rule of the house of David. At the literary level they were understood by the editors of the Amos tradition as being a promise to the southern kingdom. Both are valid levels at which the oracle may be encountered, but the points of contact with the rest of the book suggest that the oracle is an integrated part of it.
This paper offers a reading of 1 Samuel 27 – 2 Samuel 1 as a discrete unit within the books of Sa... more This paper offers a reading of 1 Samuel 27 – 2 Samuel 1 as a discrete unit within the books of Samuel which consciously acts as the climax of all that precedes it in 1 Samuel. It is marked by a distinctive narrative style, which shows that it is structurally discrete within the books of Samuel, and yet at the same time it establishes links across the whole of the preceding text. These links enable it to offer a profound reflection on the circumstances and interpretation of Saul’s death as well as resolving the question of where David was when Saul died. At the same time, these links transcend the classical source-critical analysis of the books of Samuel, suggesting that the books should be read as a tightly-integrated whole.
A final form reading of 1 Samuel 1–7 is offered here, examining the narrative poetics of repetiti... more A final form reading of 1 Samuel 1–7 is offered here, examining the narrative poetics of repetition and its relationship to complete and incomplete elements of plot. Five key repetitions are examined – monarchy, the authentic prophetic word, the fall of the house of Eli, YHWH’s independent reign and prefiguring allusions to Saul. Although the text undoubtedly makes use of sources, it is argued that it is considerably more than their sum as these elements are woven together into a coherent whole in a manner that prepares the reader for the issues that are to be addressed in subsequent narratives. In particular, the conflicts that surface in chapters 8–12 are seen to be within the frame of YHWH’s intentions since they are anticipated in these chapters. As with any good introduction, the reader is left waiting to see how it will develop.
The recent shift to reading Psalms canonically has left many issues unresolved. Rather than seein... more The recent shift to reading Psalms canonically has left many issues unresolved. Rather than seeing an underlying narrative, this article proposes a musical analogy in which different psalms harmonize in various ways with one another. This is explored through an examination of Ps 46 within the first collection of the Psalms of the Sons of Korah (Pss 42–49), noting ways in which details in the individual psalm titles and the content of these psalms interact with one another, resulting in a particular level of prominence being given to Ps 46 within this collection. As an initial exploration, the wider implications of a canonical reading are not pursued, but some suggestions are made for how this would be developed.
Peer-review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book... more Peer-review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer-Review of Scholarly Books'. The book proposal form was evaluated by our Theological and Religious Studies editorial board. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer-review before publication by two technical expert reviewers who did not include the volume editor and were independent of the volume editor, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the editor(s) or author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher, editor(s) and author(s). The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's editor(s) or author(s) to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revision and improvements, the editor(s) or author(s) responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published. v Research justification Prayer is a major topic within Christian theology. The biblical text has various references to various recorded and reported prayers. In fact, references to prayer are found within the rich diversity of the various books, corpora and genres of Scripture. As can be expected, much has been written about prayer in the biblical text. However, a comprehensive Biblical Theology dealing with the concept of prayer in Scripture has not been published before. The current volume intends to fill this gap, assuming that such an approach can provide a valuable contribution to the theological discourse on prayer and related concepts. The current volume aims to investigate prayer and its related elementsincluding worship, praise, thanksgiving, adoration, petition, intercession, lament and confession-in the Old Testament on a book-by-book or corpus-by-corpus basis. A subsequent volume investigates prayer in the New Testament in a similar fashion. It concludes with a chapter that provides Biblical-Theological perspectives on prayer in Scripture as a whole based on the chapters' findings in these volumes. The investigation follows a Biblical-Theological approach, reading the Old Testament on a book-by-book basis in its final form to uncover the Old Testament's overarching theology of prayer, understanding the parts in relation to the whole. By doing this, the discrete nuances of the prayer of the different Old Testament books and corpora can be uncovered, letting the books and corpora speak for themselves. In addition, the advantage of this approach is that it provides findings that can benefit the modern Christian community and contributes to the practice of Reformed Theology in Africa. The various chapters of this volume are written by biblical scholars who are experts in their fields. As such, this volume represents scholarly discourse for scholars. The chapters of the volume follow the order of Old Testament books according to the Hebrew canon, with some of the biblical books investigated together as literary units. Apart from three chapters on the concept of prayer in the Psalms and one chapter covering prayer in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, one chapter each is devoted to prayer in the Pentateuch, the Former Prophets, the Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Job, Lamentations, Daniel and Chronicles. All chapters are original investigations with original results and were cleared of possible plagiarism by using iThenticate.
Although the book of Joshua is often read as being hostile to non-Israelites, this paper argues t... more Although the book of Joshua is often read as being hostile to non-Israelites, this paper argues that its concern is not with ethnicity but rather with the nature of someone's relationship to Yahweh. Understood against the wider narrative arc of the book, Joshua 24 thus becomes the point where this is explored in full. This then establishes a pattern that runs through the Former Prophets which consistently demonstrate the possibilities for foreigners within Israel. The means by which this is presented suggest that Joshua in particular is arguing against a dominant social model which is opposed to foreigners. From this, it can be seen that Joshua is establishing an ethical paradigm which is welcoming to those who commit to Yahweh.
2 Samuel 5–24 is here read as a literary unit that covers the whole of the reign of David over Is... more 2 Samuel 5–24 is here read as a literary unit that covers the whole of the reign of David over Israel and Judah. It is argued that there is an intentional rhetorical pattern that is evident in the literary structure of these chapters, and that the aim of the whole section is to suggest a positive assessment of the whole of David’s reign. This assessment is directed towards the exiles, offering hope because of the continuing validity of the promises to David.
Interpreting Deuteronomy: Issues and Approaches is the fruit of the 2011 Tyndale Fellowship Old T... more Interpreting Deuteronomy: Issues and Approaches is the fruit of the 2011 Tyndale Fellowship Old Testament Study Group and the third in a series of books devoted to current “issues and approaches” in OT books (following Interpreting the Psalms [2005] and Interpreting Isaiah [2009]). It is not intended to serve as an introduction to the book nor to engage with “scholarly minutiae,” but rather to “bridge the gap” between the two (p.14). This collection of essays thus assumes a basic knowledge of Deuteronomy and Deuteronomy scholarship and draws the reader deeper into the themes and issues found in this theologically rich book.
Though often read as a discrete poem, Psalm 100 is read within the context of Psalms 93-100 in th... more Though often read as a discrete poem, Psalm 100 is read within the context of Psalms 93-100 in this article. Such a reading helps expose how language, which had been rooted in warfare, has been transformed into the language of worship. The background in warfare is explored through intertextual links within this collection and then against the background provided by the book of Joshua as a sample text. As the conclusion to this collection within the Psalter, Psalm 100 transforms this language, so that Yahweh's kingship over all the earth is expressed not in the violence of conquest, but rather in the joyful submission of freely given worship.
Biblical Theology of Life in the Old Testament, 2021
where he taught Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology. His main fields of scholarly interest inc... more where he taught Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology. His main fields of scholarly interest include the history of Israelite religion, archaeology of Iron Age Israel and the pre-exilic prophets. He retired during 2020 and is currently a full-time minister.
Summary In this canonical and intertextual interpretation of Psalms 35-41 in light of Samuel, Beu... more Summary In this canonical and intertextual interpretation of Psalms 35-41 in light of Samuel, Beuken provides a close reading of these psalms, first in their relationship to one another and then to the presentation of David in Samuel. Although debate will continue over the issue of the significance of intertextual relationships, the volume provides a plausible and insightful reading of these psalms. Zusammenfassung Mit dieser kanonischen und intertextuellen Auslegung der Psalmen 35 bis 41 im Licht des Samuelbuches bietet Beuken eine textnahe Lesart jener Psalmen zunächst in ihrer Beziehung zueinander und dann hinsichtlich der Darstellung der Person Davids im Samuelbuch. Obwohl die Debatte über die Bedeutung intertextueller Beziehungen noch andauern wird, so liefert doch das Buch eine plausible und aufschlussreiche Auslegung dieser Psalmen. Résumé Dans cette interprétation canonique et intertextuelle des Psaumes 35-41 à la lumière de Samuel, Beuken propose une lecture serrée de ces p...
The relationship between questions of genre and history are here examined through the prism of th... more The relationship between questions of genre and history are here examined through the prism of the book of Esther, especially the question of the historicity of the figure of Mordecai as it has been assessed through three main periods. It is argued that decisions on the genre of the book of Esther have consistently predetermined the way in which any archaeological evidence has been read. Ideological criticism is therefore not only needed for the way in which both the biblical text and archaeological record are read, but also for the ways in which we bring these disciplines into dialogue with one another.
In Surrendering Retribution in the Psalms, David Firth examines the ways in which the editors of ... more In Surrendering Retribution in the Psalms, David Firth examines the ways in which the editors of the Psalms have provided a model of prayer and the surrender of the right of retribution to Yahweh as the appropriate way to respond to violence. This breaks fresh ground on the question of the ways in which the book of Psalms offers instruction. This instruction is then applied to the context of South Africa where he was working as a missionary when he wrote the original thesis. In this way, the continuing missiological significance of these Psalms is also explored.
Although the grammatical objections to the authenticity of A mos 9:11-15 have been addressed, the... more Although the grammatical objections to the authenticity of A mos 9:11-15 have been addressed, the theological ones have not. This paper attempts to address this problem by suggesting that the text functions at two levels. At an originally oral level, the promises of salvation that we find here would have been understood as polemic against the government of the northern kingdom since they assume that future prosperity is dependent on the rule of the house of David. At the literary level they were understood by the editors of the Amos tradition as being a promise to the southern kingdom. Both are valid levels at which the oracle may be encountered, but the points of contact with the rest of the book suggest that the oracle is an integrated part of it.
This paper offers a reading of 1 Samuel 27 – 2 Samuel 1 as a discrete unit within the books of Sa... more This paper offers a reading of 1 Samuel 27 – 2 Samuel 1 as a discrete unit within the books of Samuel which consciously acts as the climax of all that precedes it in 1 Samuel. It is marked by a distinctive narrative style, which shows that it is structurally discrete within the books of Samuel, and yet at the same time it establishes links across the whole of the preceding text. These links enable it to offer a profound reflection on the circumstances and interpretation of Saul’s death as well as resolving the question of where David was when Saul died. At the same time, these links transcend the classical source-critical analysis of the books of Samuel, suggesting that the books should be read as a tightly-integrated whole.
A final form reading of 1 Samuel 1–7 is offered here, examining the narrative poetics of repetiti... more A final form reading of 1 Samuel 1–7 is offered here, examining the narrative poetics of repetition and its relationship to complete and incomplete elements of plot. Five key repetitions are examined – monarchy, the authentic prophetic word, the fall of the house of Eli, YHWH’s independent reign and prefiguring allusions to Saul. Although the text undoubtedly makes use of sources, it is argued that it is considerably more than their sum as these elements are woven together into a coherent whole in a manner that prepares the reader for the issues that are to be addressed in subsequent narratives. In particular, the conflicts that surface in chapters 8–12 are seen to be within the frame of YHWH’s intentions since they are anticipated in these chapters. As with any good introduction, the reader is left waiting to see how it will develop.
The recent shift to reading Psalms canonically has left many issues unresolved. Rather than seein... more The recent shift to reading Psalms canonically has left many issues unresolved. Rather than seeing an underlying narrative, this article proposes a musical analogy in which different psalms harmonize in various ways with one another. This is explored through an examination of Ps 46 within the first collection of the Psalms of the Sons of Korah (Pss 42–49), noting ways in which details in the individual psalm titles and the content of these psalms interact with one another, resulting in a particular level of prominence being given to Ps 46 within this collection. As an initial exploration, the wider implications of a canonical reading are not pursued, but some suggestions are made for how this would be developed.
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