Berit Olam: 1 Kings

Publisher Description

For centuries, people have turned to the Hebrew Bible to hear the ?life-giving words of God's everlasting covenant. "Berit Olam (The ?Everlasting Covenant): Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry" shares ?this message with lay people, professional biblical scholars, preachers, ?students and religious educators.?This multi-volume commentary series reflects the latest developments in a ?new method of biblical study literary criticism. The authors approach the ?books of the Hebrew Bible as literary works, recognizing that their poetry ?and stories can be better appreciated by first understanding their ancient ?Hebrew forms.?The authors comment primarily on the New Revised Standard Version of the ?Bible, although they refer to others or provide new translations of words ?or phrases when necessary to clarify the text's meaning. The volumes in ?"Berit Olam" contain commentary only?the complete biblical text is not included.?The narratives of Solomon and Jeoboam, of Elijah and Ahab, have been read ?for hundreds of years. Even apart from questions of historical ?authenticity, the stories tell a complex tale of God's dealings with ?Israel. This study explores the narrative world created by 1 Kings' ?ancient Israelite author: the people who inhabit it, the lives they live, ?the deeds they do, and the face of God who is revealed in their stories.?An introduction explains the significance of 1 Kings as a historical ?narrative. Originally intended as a literal history, after centuries of ?writing and re-writing it is now as much a literary work as an historical ?one: the views of those who formed it can be discerned and studied. The ?author also explains how the traditions of Hebrew prose narrative - and ?the Hebrew language itself - affect the reading of 1 Kings.