Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (Berit Olam (The Everlasting Covenant): Studies In Hebrew Narrative And Poetry) [Hardcover]

Stephen K. Sherwood (Author), David W. Cotter (Editor), Chris Franke (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002 | Series: Berit Olam (The Everlasting Covenant): Studies In Hebrew Narrative And Poetry

Many good intentions to read the entire Bible have foundered on the rocks of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Do these books have literary qualities? How does the storyteller tell the story? In Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Stephen Sherwood, C.M.F., applies the tools of narrative criticism to look for the literary qualities of these three biblical books. Sherwood identifies the narrative art of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy not only in such colorful stories as the Sabbath breaker, the threat from Sihon and Og, the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, the story of Balaam, the bronze serpent, Aaron’s rod, Miriam’s leprosy, and the water from the rock, but also through the extended discourses made by characters in the story. Sherwood studies the voices of several of these characters: the narrator, the Lord, Moses, Aaron, the Israelites, Balaam and Barak, and others, to see how each is “characterized” by their words and actions. In Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Sherwood also shows how each of the three books has its own characteristics as part of a larger story. Leviticus deals mainly with divine speech. Numbers also contains divine speech but the voices of Moses and the narrator are more recurrent. Deuteronomy is presented in the form of a farewell speech of Moses before his death. The story is then retold from Moses’ point of view, with different emphases and even some changes. Chapters are “General Introduction,” “Leviticus,” “Numbers,” and “Deuteronomy.” Each chapter contains a general introduction to a biblical book which is followed by notes which make observations on the literary qualities of smaller units of each book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814650465
• ISBN-13: 978-0814650462
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,414,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was hoping for but still good, December 4, 2011

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This review is from: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (Berit Olam (The Everlasting Covenant): Studies In Hebrew Narrative And Poetry) (Hardcover)

This was my third purchase in the Berit Olam series and I was a little disappointed. Other commentaries in this series provided a passage by passage commentary. This particular took a broader view and implied more more usage statistics and historical accounts of word usage.

It was a good commentary but not what i was expecting when I purchased it. A more careful reading of the book description would have told me that though...so in reality it was purely my own fault.