A Lesson in Hebrew Poetry

I'm not studying to be a scholar of the Good Book's first half. But I meet with some girls most weeks to study the Good Book, currently studying the hymnal in the Good Book's first half, and since I'm leading a study on the forty-sixth hymn, and since I said I'd try "translating scholarship", I thought that I'd post some of the things I've been learning.

Hebrew poetry uses images. In this hymn, three images are described: an image from nature (with mountains and waves), a national image (with nations and kingdoms), and the City of God.

Hebrew poetry develops images by using connecting words. The three images all connect with different words. For example:

• The waters roar, and the nations are in uproar (same Hebrew root).
• Mountains fall, kingdoms fall, but the City of God won't fall.

Hebrew poetry uses contrasts. Nature was out of control (echoing the pre-creation chaos) and nations are out of control. The City of God is not out of control. Why? Because God's presence is there.

Hebrew poetry often uses events from the past as indicators of what will happen in the future. In nature, he brought chaos to order through his creation, thus, nature will exalt him. In the national setting, we have a promise for the future (the technical term: implicit eschatology) because nations, too, will exalt him.

So what? The hymn anticipates our challenge to God to prove that we can trust him to be in control. That is, since he has demonstrated his control in nature and in nations, therefore he can be trusted with everything else. And, therefore, we can be still (the Hebrew verb doesn't indicate a calm or meditative stillness, but the cessation of activity).

Hope my studies in Hebrew prove helpful.