Literary Structure of the Old Testament, The: A Commentary on Genesis-Malachi [Paperback]

David A. Dorsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Dorsey proceeds book-by-book through the entire Old Testament, identifying the structure and offering commentary as to how it clarifies the text's meaning. He illuminates the "big picture" of each book, providing a framework for further study.

"This book will become a standard reference tool for all serious students of the Bible."--Temper Longman III, Westmont College

Editorial Reviews

Review

Herman Gunkel and the form critics have taught us that the meaning of texts cannot be divorced from the literary genres and forms in which they are composed. More recently the symbiotic connections between meaning and literature on a more macro-structural level have come to be appreciated. David Dorsey has now carried this important insight logically forward in his brilliant analyses and syntheses of not only Old Testament passages but of whole books and collections of books. With intuitively artistic sensitivity to texts in their wholeness, Dorsey has provided for the scholar and layman alike a fresh way of reading the sacred literature. ... Bible study will never be the same again for anyone who takes advantage of the creative insights afforded in this remarkable volume -- Eugene H. Merrill, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

This is an unusual and fascinating book. It is the first comprehensive treatment of the native structure of the Old Testament books and its significance for their meaning and message. Expositors will find it of inestimable value for looking at the books in a way that is natural to the literary nature of the Old Testament itself and, at the same time, the theological significance of that structure -- Richard Averbeck, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Understanding structure is pivotal to understanding the meaning of Scripture. David Dorsey ably guides us toward a better sense of the structure and style of the books of the Old Testament. This book will become a standard reference tool for all serious students of the Bible -- Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Religious Studies, Westmont College --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

David A. Dorsey (Ph.D., Dropsie College) is professor of Old Testament at the Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Roads and Highways of Ancient Israel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801027934
• ISBN-13: 978-0801027932
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biblical Structure and Proper Interpretation, December 13, 1999

By 

Dr. William D. Ramey (North Kansas City, Missouri) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis-Malachi (Hardcover)

This is a very important one-volume study on chiasmus that deserves shelf space for any biblical enthusiast of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). After a very instructive twenty-nine page introduction to biblical literary structure, the author organizes his analyses of biblical structure book by book (English order) of the Old Testament Scriptures. As he states in his Preface: "At first I planned to include analyses of all the books of the Old Testament. Then reason set in, and I selected a small sampling of biblical books on which to focus. In the end, however, Kenneth Miller, my colleague at Evangelical School of Theology, convinced me to reverse this decision and return to my original (foolhardy) plan. I am keenly aware that what I have gained in breadth by greater coverage I have lost in depth. But I am satisfied with the decision, and hope that the resulting product will be more useful to readers" (p. 9).

If you are at all interested in biblical structure of the Old Testament and its importance in relation to correct interpretation, you will never regret purchasing this indispensable volume. As the author himself states: "Certainly it is time for surface-structural analysis to take its place among the important disciplines within biblical studies. Old Testament authors communicated their message through the arrangement of their compositions as well as through verbal content. Modern commentators devote much effort to clarifying the verbal content of passages of scripture but give relatively little attention to the arrangement of this content. If we are to understand more fully the books of the Hebrew Bible, we must pay greater attention to their structures and to what those structures reveal about their meaning. The purpose of the present work is to encourage renewed interest in this promising and important aspect of interpretation" (pp. 327-328).

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Reference for Serious Bible Students and Pastors, January 31, 2005

By 

Edward J. Vasicek "Author, pastor, columnist" (Kokomo, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Literary Structure of the Old Testament, The: A Commentary on Genesis-Malachi (Paperback)

This book is valuable to help students of Scripture see the pattern of each Old Testament book. The author provides us with symmetrical outlines, typically providing a "Center Point" which is th emphasis or "pinnacle" of the section. But the arrangement is not just his creation: it really fits the organization of the book under study. This outline exemplifies an orderly arrangement called chiasmus (or chiasm). It looks something like this: A B C Center Point C' B' A' And most of the Old Testament typically does indeed (naturally) flow into this pattern.

This work is useful in two ways:
(1) hermeneutically (interpretationally), it shows us where the climax of the section is located and how the symmetrical pattern before and after it modifies that climax;
(2) instructionally (for preaching or teaching) it directs us to a concentration point. This is useful in many ways, but it is particularly helpful when we are addressing highlights from the various books of the Old Testament.

This is not the type of book one would read through, but it is a reference book to pull off the shelf when a person is preparing to study a particular book of the Old Testament. I would include this volume under the label of "introductory material." Although it is subtitled as a "commentary" it is not a verse by verse work, but rather a commentary on the main structure (and outline) of the books involved. The book is slightly more than 300 pages long.

The average laymen would probably not find this book very useful, but folks interested and active in Bible teaching (particuarly at an adult level) would probably enjoy this work.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful..., August 13, 2003

By 

Jeffrey L. Curry (Roanoke, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis-Malachi (Hardcover)

I believe this to be a very important and necessary work.

The Literary Structure of the Old Testament gives a great overview of the use of literary patterns found to be common in the OT. It also covers each book of the OT in some detail.

Why should we care about the literary patterns in the OT? The ancient Hebrew author used them to communicate meaning. And if you want to know what an OT author was saying then you need to understand these patterns and how he would have used them. David Dorsey helps us see this in this wonderful book.

If you are a serious student of the Hebrew text.. then I encourage to get this book. You will be enlightened by it.

I personally keep 5-10 copies of this book to give to those who I know would appreciate it.

Many thanks to Dr. Dorsey for his time and effort.