Wisdom Intoned: A Reappraisal of the Genre ‘Wisdom Psalms’ 9780567664754, 9780567661524, 9780567661517

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LIBRARY OF HEBREW BIBLE/ OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES

613 Formerly Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series

Editors Claudia V. Camp, Texas Christian University Andrew Mein, Westcott House, Cambridge

Founding Editors David J. A. Clines, Philip R. Davies and David M. Gunn

Editorial Board Alan Cooper, John Goldingay, Robert P. Gordon, Norman K. Gottwald, James E. Harding, John Jarick, Carol Meyers, Carolyn J. Sharp, Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, James W. Watts

WISDOM INTONED

A Reappraisal of the Genre ‘Wisdom Psalms’

Simon Chi-chung Cheung

T&T CLARK Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA BLOOMSBURY, T&T CLARK and the T&T Clark logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2015 Paperback edition first published 2018 Copyright © Simon Chi-chung Cheung, 2015 Simon Chi-chung Cheung has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on p. xi constitute an extension of this copyright page. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cheung, Simon Chi-chung, 1971Wisdom intoned : a reappraisal of the genre “Wisdom Psalms” / by Simon Chi-chung Cheung. pages cm. – (Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies ; 613) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-567-66152-4 (hbk) – ISBN 978-0-567-66151-7 (epdf) 1. Bible. Psalms– Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title. BS1430.52.C424 2015 223’.206–dc23 2015001384 ISBN: HB: 978-0-56766-152-4 PB: 978-0-56768-371-7 ePDF: 978-0-56766-151-7 Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies Typeset by Forthcoming Publications Ltd (www.forthpub.com) To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters.

To Bonnie, With Love

CONTENTS Acknowledgments Abbreviations

xi xiii

Chapter 1 CLASSIFYING ‘WISDOM PSALMS’ I. History of Scholarship a. Accent on Wisdom-speci¿c Features b. Accent on Wisdom Predominance c. The Quest for a Sitz im Leben II. The Concept of ‘Genre’ III. Summary

1 2 4 9 13 16 19

Chapter 2 THE SALIENT WISDOM FEATURES I. Searching for a Launch Point a. Proverbs b. Ecclesiastes c. The Book of Job d. Conclusion II. Discerning the Salient Wisdom Features a. A Ruling Wisdom Thrust b. An Intellectual Tone (1) Stylistic devices (2) Intellectual approach (3) A generic expectation c. A Didactic Speech Intention (1) Didacticism in Proverbs–Ecclesiastes (2) Determining didacticism by didactic speech intention (3) Speech-act theory (i) Introducing the speech-act theory (ii) Speech acts in literary discourse (iii) Identifying illocutionary acts

22 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 33 34 34 37 38 38 41 41

1

viii

Contents

(iv) Classes of illocutionary acts (v) Indirect speech acts (vi) The overall illocution of a literary discourse III. Conclusion IV. Scope and Plan of This Study

45 47 48 49 50

Chapter 3 PSALM 37: THE ABCS OF LIVING IN THE LAND I. Translation II. Thematic Analysis a. Contrastive Eventualities of the Righteous and the Wicked (1) 7: