Skip to main content

Tanakh Arrangement

In preparation for a series of things that I will be busy with next year, I am currently making my way through "Dominion and Dynasty: A Biblical Theology of the Hebrew Bible" by Stephen Dempster.

Dempster argues that the order of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh (TNK spelling out the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim) has a literary purpose.

Unlike the Old Testament order, it begins with Genesis and ends with Chronicles.

In this arrangement, the ending of Genesis and Chronicles display remarkable similarity.

At the end of Genesis, Joseph about to die tells his brothers: “I am about to die, but God will visit (Hebrew root: paqad) you and bring you up (Hebrew root: alah) out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (Genesis 50:24)

At the end of Chronicles, Cyrus sends the exiles home to rebuild the temple: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged (Hebrew root: paqad) me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up. (Hebrew root: alah)’ (2 Chron. 36:23)

Both books end with the charge/visit and the going up motif. And of course both books end with the motif of going into the land.

Ending the Tanakh with Chronicles closes God's Word with hope.

Its a compelling argument, and one that made me teared.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The use of Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8

  For Paul in Ephesians 4:8, clearly there are some changes from the text that Paul is supposedly citing which is Psalm 68:18. Comparing Psalm 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8, it is obvious there are differences. I believe Paul was actually using the LXX but has changed its words for the occasion in Ephesians 4. The LXX version of Psalm 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8 differs by a few words: Psalm 68:18 (it is actually Psalm 67:19 in the LXX): ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος  ᾐχμαλώτευσας  αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἔλαβες  δόματα  ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ , Ephesians 4:8 ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος  ᾐχμαλώτευσεν  αἰχμαλωσίαν,* ⸆  ἔδωκεν  δόματα ⸀ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Structurally you can see the LXX and Eph 4 is similar but for a few words changes.   The first change is from 2nd person (LXX) to 3rd person (Eph 4) with regards to who is doing the ascending in the first line.  So the English Bible rightly translates the phrase to "When  he  ascended on high" versus Psalm 68, " you  ascended"   The second change is perhaps the most radical, wh
Post a Comment
Read more

Vaughan Roberts, “Same-Sex Attraction – A Battle I Face” – a model of a godly response

http://davidould.net/?p=4388 "In the preface to a new edition of my book “Battles Christians Face”, which features eights areas of struggle, including homosexuality, I write that, to a greater or lesser degree, I face them all myself. Close family and friends have known for a considerable time that I experience same sex attraction. None of the issues in the book define me. As a single man I am celibate, because I believe the Bible teaches that the right context for sex is only in marriage between a man and a woman." I have had the privilege of hearing this man preach before. He has written one of the best books that addresses what the whole Bible is about. In this article though, his courage in fighting sin is exemplary. Homosexuals are not the only ones committing sexual sin and I really admire his boldness.
Post a Comment
Read more

An Exposition of Genesis 2:24

An Exposition of Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Lots can be said about this wonderful verse. In it, we see the actions of God who created the wonderful gift of marriage. Thanks to God, we humans are capable of creating many things but to conceive of something as powerful as marriage is probably beyond us. Through His creative works, God has demonstrated his goodness and awesomeness. But if we stop there then we will never perceive God’s full goodness and awesomeness.  God’s goodness and awesomeness is not restricted only to His creative works. This verse is ultimately a command, and like all commands we find in the Bible, the one who never fails at obeying them is Christ alone. In the first part of this verse we see that it is decreed that a man shall leave his father and mother . Of this Christ Jesus did perfectly and in doing so, he demonstrated his condescension to us though we
Post a Comment
Read more