Difference between revisions of "Book of Nahum"
(in use; anti virus kicking in; saving quick draft in case of loss) |
|||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
==Language== | ==Language== | ||
| − | The book was written entirely in [[Hebrew]]. Due to its lyrical construction, many commentators have described it as a [[psalm]]. The first section is an "acrostic", or alphabetical, poem, each line beginning with successive letters of the [[Hebrew alphabet]]. | + | The book was written entirely in [[Hebrew]]. Due to its lyrical construction, many commentators have described it as a [[psalm]]. The first section is an "acrostic", or alphabetical, poem, each line beginning with successive letters of the [[Hebrew alphabet]]. Although this does not continue throughout the whole of the book, scholars have concluded that this was due one of three factors, or a combination thereof: |
| + | *the writer abandoned halfway his undertaking to write acrostically | ||
| + | *the parts were worked out separately from an unacrostic original | ||
| + | *the upper margin was first used, and then the side margin, causing the text to become "overcrowded and blurred, this later on causing in the second part of the psalm an inextricable confusion from which the first was preserved"<ref>Souvay, Charles. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10670a.htm "Nahum"] The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Retrieved 28 July 2008.</ref> | ||
| + | The book's composition is unusual in that while it contains "fierce denunciations of Judah's enemy" it lacks "many elements commonly ascribed to the Hebrew prophets, most particularly in any declaration of Judah's sin as seen in the light of covenant obligations."<ref>de Vries, S. J. ''The Acrostic of Nahum in the Jerusalem Liturgy'' Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 16, Fasc. 4 (October 1966), pp. 476-481.</ref> | ||
==Author== | ==Author== | ||
Revision as of 11:07, July 28, 2008
The Book of Nahum is a book in the Old Testament, and the seventh of the minor prophets. Nahum is closely-linked with Jonah, both of whom bring messages of destruction to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. It differs from the other prophetic books in that it doesn't contain detailed prophecies, nor does it "upbraid the people for their failings, which are two things that most of the other prophets do. The Book of Nahum is a short book [consisting of] a series of three poems", the first of which is an acrostic poem.[1]
Language
The book was written entirely in Hebrew. Due to its lyrical construction, many commentators have described it as a psalm. The first section is an "acrostic", or alphabetical, poem, each line beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Although this does not continue throughout the whole of the book, scholars have concluded that this was due one of three factors, or a combination thereof:
- the writer abandoned halfway his undertaking to write acrostically
- the parts were worked out separately from an unacrostic original
- the upper margin was first used, and then the side margin, causing the text to become "overcrowded and blurred, this later on causing in the second part of the psalm an inextricable confusion from which the first was preserved"[2]
The book's composition is unusual in that while it contains "fierce denunciations of Judah's enemy" it lacks "many elements commonly ascribed to the Hebrew prophets, most particularly in any declaration of Judah's sin as seen in the light of covenant obligations."[3]
Author
Provenance
To whom written
Structure and content
External links
References
- ↑ Prof. Christine Hayes. 8 November 2006. Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Lecture 18 Transcript. Yale University. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ↑ Souvay, Charles. "Nahum" The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ↑ de Vries, S. J. The Acrostic of Nahum in the Jerusalem Liturgy Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 16, Fasc. 4 (October 1966), pp. 476-481.