Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible [Paperback]

Leland Ryken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1993

In this introduction to Scripture, Leland Ryken organizes biblical passages into literary genres including narratives, poetry, proverbs, and drama, demonstrating that knowledge of a genre's characteristics enriches one's understanding of individual passages.

He offers a volume brimming over with wonderful insights into Old and New Testament books and passages--insights that have escaped most traditional commentators.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic; 2 edition (February 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801077699
• ISBN-13: 978-0801077692
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) is Professor of English at Wheaton College. He has authored or edited several books, including The Word of God in English, The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, and The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society and served as literary stylist for The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ryken's book a Delight, September 16, 2000

By 

Steven M. Lloyd "closerlookbooks" (Corona, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible (Paperback)

I taught Hermeneutics, a course on how to study the Bible, for 13 years at S.C.S.E. I read "Words of Delight" (when it was still a two volume work) six years into my work with the school and found that it fit the bill for what I wanted to accomplish with my students.

The book is divided into four parts treating Biblical Narrative first. Part two focuses on Biblical Poetry; Part Three on Other Biblical Literary Forms and Part Four, The New Testament. Some books treat the Bible as nothing more than literature. But if you are looking for a book that helps you to appreciate the literary aspects of the Bible while at the same time addressing it as the Word of God, this book is for you.

Frankly, I am surprised that someone else hasn't already written a glowing report of this book for Amazon. I recommend it to every Bible student. It is the single-most useful book I have read on the subject. (I would also recommend a work Dr. Ryken co edited, "Dictionary of Biblical Imagery" and "The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible," and a book he co-authored with Jim Wilhoit, "Effective Bible Teaching.")

Oh, why don't I just come right out and say it, "If Leland Ryken's name is associated with it, get it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A large book to work through, but infinitely worth it, May 5, 2010

By 

Joshua D. Little - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible (Paperback)

Dr. Ryken uses this book in his Literature of the Bible class, and follows the text almost chapter-by-chapter. Hearing him talk through the concepts and their importance in biblical studies solidifies the methodology he uses in the text.
The book itself sometimes seems long and difficult to work through, but it is by deliberately working through the concepts that the method of literary interpretation starts to sink in. It is an infinitely valuable exercise that will improve your reading of virtually every biblical text and make it come alive in new ways. Remarkably, it is also an approach less in biblical studies that allows the Bible to speak for itself, and reveal its own literary forms into interpretive frameworks that every-day readers can understand.

While some scholars may contest Dr. Ryken's approach as not the same caliber as other works in biblical studies, this would be a mistake. Ryken does not delve into the ancient contexts or deal with syntactical discourse analysis of the original languages, but he takes the literary forms of the Bible as they are and allows inductive reading to take its full effect in the text. This should not happen at the expense of studying the historical contexts, but it is an often overlooked, and invaluable addition to the discipline.

Furthermore, Ryken interacts with various scholars and delineates a very reasonable approach to difficult passages, especially in Revelation where as he says "wild speculation" is rampant.
But the most immediately valuable sections, I have found, are his tips to identifying "unity and variation" in the Psalms, and identifying the sub-genre categories to "make your joy full" in reading the text, as he would say.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Literature Studies, April 13, 2009

By 

Sarah M. Lennox "Sarah" (Seattle Univerisity) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible (Paperback)

Ryken's text is a great resource not only for Biblical Studies but also for general Literature Studies. There are great explanations of literary terms- I wish I had this book four years ago when I started my English Degree. The Biblical explanations are clear, and very helpful if you are not aquainted with the Bible, but can be redundant if you spent a lot of time in Sunday School. Overall, this is the best book of the term, and possibly one of the greatest textbooks Ive used in 4 years of college.