My Psalm Has Turned Into Weeping: Job's Dialogue with the Psalms

Description

Drawing inspiration from the widely recognized parody of Ps 8:5 in Job 7:17-18, this study inquires whether other allusions to the Psalms might likewise contribute to the dialogue between Job, his friends, and God. An intertextual analysis reveals six psalms (1, 8, 39, 73, 107, 139) that serve as subtexts in the Job dialogue. The dialogue thus created between Job and these psalms indicates the concern the book has with the proper response to suffering and the role the interpretation of authoritative texts may play in that reaction. Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Hearing History: Connections between Job and the Psalms in the History of Interpretation 1.1. Introduction 1.2. Early Critical Interpretation 1.3. Form Criticism 1.4. Intertextuality 1.4.1. Job and the Hebrew Bible 1.4.2. Job and the Psalms 1.5. Conclusion 2. Between Times, Between Texts: Intertextualities in Dialogue 2.1. Introduction 2.2. The False Dichotomy 2.3. Between Diachronic and Synchronic 2.4. Intertextuality and the Hebrew Bible 2.5. Intertextualities in Dialogue: Prolegomena 2.5.1. Terminology 2.5.2. The Text 2.5.3. The Intertext 2.6. Intertextualities in Dialogue: Eight Steps 2.6.1. Identification 2.6.2. Date 2.6.3. Coherence 2.6.4. Use 2.6.5. Recurrence 2.6.6. Holistic Interpretation 2.6.7. Reciprocation 2.6.8. Historical Implications 2.7. Conclusion PART I: PRAISE 3. Hubris and Humility: Psalm 8 in Job 3.1. Identification 3.2. Date 3.3. Coherence 3.4. Use 3.5. Recurrence 3.5.1. Eliphaz: 15:14-16 3.5.2. Job: 19:9 3.5.3. Bildad: 25:5-6 3.6. Holistic Interpretation 3.7. Reciprocation 3.8. Historical Implications 3.9. Conclusion 4. Doxology in Disputation: Psalm 107 in Job 4.1. Identification 4.2. Date 4.3. Coherence 4.4. Use 4.5. Recurrence 4.5.1. Eliphaz: Ch. 5 4.5.2. Job: 12:13-13:2 4.5.3. Eliphaz: 15:24 4.5.4. Job: 21:11 4.5.5. Eliphaz: 22:19 4.6. Holistic Interpretation 4.7. Reciprocation 4.8. Historical Implications 4.9. Conclusion 4.9.1. Psalms of Praise in Job PART II: SUPPLICATION 5. Ominous Omniscience?: Psalm 139 in Job 5.1. Identification 5.2. Date 5.3. Coherence 5.4. Use 5.5. Recurrence 5.5.1. Job: Ch. 10 5.5.2. Zophar: 11:7-9 5.5.3. Job: 23:8-10 5.6. Holistic Interpretation 5.7. Reciprocation 5.8. Historical Implications 5.9. Conclusion 6. Harassed Hope: Psalm 39 in Job 6.1. Identification 6.2. Date 6.3. Coherence 6.4. Use 6.5. Recurrence 6.5.1. Job: 6:8-11 6.5.2. Job: Ch. 7 6.5.3. Job: 13:28-14:6 6.6. Holistic Interpretation 6.7. Reciprocation 6.8. Historical Implications 6.9. Conclusion 6.9.1. Psalms of Supplication in Job PART III: INSTRUCTION 7. From Didactic to Dialogic: Psalm 1 in Job 7.1. Identification 7.2. Date 7.3. Coherence 7.4. Use 7.5. Recurrence 7.5.1. Eliphaz: 5:13-14 7.5.2. Job: 10:3 7.5.3. Job: 13:25 7.5.4. Eliphaz: 22:18 7.5.5. Job: 23:10-11 7.6. Holistic Interpretation 7.7. Reciprocation 7.8. Historical Implications 7.9. Conclusion 8. Re-interpreting Retribution: Psalm 73 in Job 8.1. Identification 8.2. Date 8.3. Coherence 8.4. Use 8.5. Recurrence 8.5.1. Job: 7:18 8.5.2. Job: 9:29-31 8.5.3. The Friends: 15:27; 18:3, 11, 14; 20:8 8.5.4. Job: 19:25-27 8.5.5. Job: 21:13-14 8.5.6. Job: 23:11 8.6. Holistic Interpretation 8.7. Reciprocation 8.8. Historical Implications 8.9. Conclusion 8.9.1. Psalms of Instruction in Job 9. Conclusion 9.1. The Psalms in the Dialogue 9.2. The Interpretive Conflict 9.2.1. Job: Piety through Parody 9.2.2. The Friends: Pious Proof-texting 9.3. The Interpretation of the Psalms in Job 9.4. Historical Implications 9.5. Broader Relevance and Further Research Bibliography Index of Ancient Sources Index of Subjects Index of Authors