EXPLANATION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Text in roman type.

Supplemental and editorial additions to an older section in smaller type.

Superscriptions IN SMALL CAPITALS.

Poetical passages are distinguished by smaller type and broken lines.
Explanatory clauses, found in the original, in ( ).

English equivalents of the more significant Hebrew proper names in [ ].
Words implied by the context or supplied to restore the original narratives,
where these have been abridged in the process of editorial fusion, in italics.
Foot-notes, presenting the reasons for the analysis and classification of the mate-
rial, significant alternate readings, and explanatory material, in small roman
type.

Interpretative side-headings, giving a condensed summary of the accompanying text, on the margins in small roman type.

Chapter numbers in arabic figures. Verse numbers in small figures placed above the line. Successive portions of a verse indicated by . bor, placed after the verse number. Thus, Genesis II. 4 (second part of the verse) to IV. 6 (first half) inclusive is written 24b-46a Complete stories or literary units (with their parallels, if any) are numbered with arabic numerals successively throughout the entire volume and are referred to as sections. Thus, § 2 refers to § 2, Jehovah's Deliverance and Leadership of His People, pp. 51-53.

INTRODUCTION

UNIV. OF
CALIFORNIA

INTRODUCTION

I

THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HEBREW POETRY

essential

nature

of ро

etry

POETRY may be defined as the imaginative and rhythmic expression of The the insight, the feeling, and the creative thought of an inspired soul. In brief, it is thought and emotion set to the music of words. Its object is to awaken and direct the imagination and emotions of the hearer or reader so that he will also share the poet's own insight, feeling, and thought. As the fundamental meaning of the word implies, the poet is a maker, a creator, as well as an interpreter. There are four essential elements in all poetry: (1) inspiration, (2) imagination, (3) creative power, and (4) rhythm. Back of all poetry is some inspiring force that stirs the mind of the poet. It may be the beauty of nature, a striking national or personal experience, an illuminating idea, or a deep emotion. Underlying all these, faith recognizes the spirit of the Eternal who, in different ways, touches and imparts his truth to the responsive mind of the poet. The real poet must also possess the power of imagination, the ability to see clearly and concretely with his mental vision that which is not perceived by the ordinary man. Furthermore, he must be able, by the aid of his imagination, to describe his vision in appropriate words and figures and thus to present it clearly and concretely to the eyes of his fellow men. Finally, the prevailing conception of poetry demands that it shall be rhythmic in form. This essential characteristic may be expressed by the rhythm of regular metre, as in Greek poetry; by the rhythmic sound conveyed by the concluding words of each line, as in most English poetry; or by the rhythm of recurring thought. Above all, the rhythmic form must be in harmony with the thought or passion which inspires it.

origin

The earliest examples of Babylonian and Egyptian literature are dis- Its tinctly poetic in form. In ancient Greece the bards began to sing their early songs centuries before the appearance of the philosophers and historians. Among the early Germans and English the art of poetic composition developed long before that of prose writing. The Hebrews were no exception to this rule. Scattered through the earliest prose writings of the Old Testament are older fragments of popular poems that were current at the beginnings of Israel's history or inherited from its Semitic past.

The reasons why men first expressed their thoughts in poetry are not difficult to discover. They are illustrated by the natural impulses of the child, which to-day faithfully reflect certain of the initial stages in the