The Art of Biblical Poetry

Alter has the soul of a poet, the fine art of a writer, and the heart of a biblical adherent. He draws on the wisdom and knowledge of ancient, medieval and modern scholars. He cites ancient versions of the Bible, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Syriac, along with the most notable translations into English, principally the King's James Version. He has given me a richer appreciation for the latter. As to modern translations in English, he gently points out their inadequacies. His Mastery of Hebrew gives the reader both an understanding of how the biblical authors thought and an appreciation for how Hebrew uniquely expresses this uniqueness in thought. I have gone over his translations of the Five Books of Moses and of the Psalms. His mastery of English generously persuades one of his mastery of Hebrew and the other languages of ancient biblical manuscripts. Regards, Marcel Matley

This is an excellent tome, fully complementary to the earlier THE ART OF BIBLICAL NARRATIVE by the same author. It begins with an excellent three chapter introduction to biblical poetics and proceeds to work out the basics in the following chapters. For those who regularly incorporate the Psalter in worship, this is a very helpful theoretical and practical text. It enhances the appreciation of the poetic techniques employed with a good discussion of the underlying Hebrew for those reading in translations. It also gives a good, succinct overview of the dominant understandings of these matters over a large expanse of time. Areas of agreement and disagreement with prior understandings of biblical poetics are well stated and concise, authoritatively addressed, and relevant works cited for further study. As a student in the Anglican School of Ministry, Little Rock, Arkansas, I have utilized both THE ART OF BIBLICAL POETRY and THE ART OF BIBLICAL NARRATIVE as assigned texts for course work. They will remain on my bookshelf for future reference in my ministry as Deacon and, God willing, the Presbyterate. As an Anglican, I find that the regular use of the Psalter in daily Morning and Evening Prayer, in the Holy Eucharist,in Baptism and Ordinations, and in other services occasionally utilized is genuinely enhanced by this material. I give it my unqualified highest recommendation. Enjoy!

This companion volume to "The Art of Biblican Narrative" is equally illuminating although the subject matter is very different. Still, Alter is to my mind the deepest and most perceptive literary analyst I have ever read. His writing is not easy and I sometimes have to look up words he uses -- but he reads so closely and with such sympathy and sensitivity that his insights are often simply revelatory. Here he examines Biblical poetry with close readings from selections of the prophets, the Song of Songs, Pslams, Proverbs and most of all Job. Some of the texts he examines were faily familiar to me. Others not so much. Biblical poetry is based on a technique called "parallelism" rather than on rhyme or meter. Parallelism splits each line into two parts and the second somehow reflects upon, amplifies, intensifies or illuminates the first. The form is quite stiff and unyielding at first sight -- yet Alter shows how in the hands of the anonymous authors whose names are mostly lost to us, it can become an instrument of tremendous power. Anyone interested in the Bible should read this.

Altar has done a great job explaining step by step how to approach biblical poetry. This is recommended reading for anyone studying biblical poetic books or portion (like part of the prophetic books).

I bought this book after having read Alter's "The Art of Biblical Narrative." That book helped me so much in my ability to understand the narrative literature of the Bible that I thought that this one would do the same for poetry. I was not disappointed. Alter's book breaks down the form of Hebrew poetry, looking at the way that it functions, in order to help readers understand that unique genre. He also examines the way that poetry is used for different purposes in books like Job, Psalms, and in the Prophets. I used this book extensively for my Master of Theology, and as I close in on my Doctor of Ministry I have found that it continues to produce fruit as I prepare to write my dissertation.

Alter is a good scholar. He disseminates hebrew poetry and shows you how it works. He looks at Hebrew poetry as if he is a scientist and the text is a test tube. This book will allow the bible student to think about the text in light of how it is composed (such as the use of parallelism). The only thing lacking here is the sense that this is how God communicates to us. As a Bible student in my early twenties, I learned a lot from this book about biblical poetry. But it didn't help me grow in understanding the theology in behind the poetry, which is the most important part.

I greatly appreciate Alter's seminal work in " The Art of Biblical Poetry "! I was impressed by his giving a comprehensive and panoramic view of Poetry in the Bible and interesting the reader to explore further by referring them to other authors on the same. I liked his in-depth discussion of particular Psalms and other Bible books that have poetry there in and he has rekindled my appreciation for poetry and the need to see it and appreciate it and help others to see, taste, and enjoy it in the Bible. I think this is a book that I recommend to all Christians but especially to those given and called to regularly preaching and teaching and/or ministering God's Word through various media.

As a poet and student of scripture, I highly value the insights of this book. Robert Alter has a deep knowledge of Biblical language and culture, a living faith, and the skills of a literary critic. Anyone who wants to understand the Old Testament should read this book.

Interesting and enlightening

the best. very very very good.

It took me longer to appreciate this book than Alter's The Art of Biblical Narrative but the further I read, the more I appreciated it. It's a great book to have as a reference.

Alter in this book restores the luster to the Bible's poetic qualities which have long been minimized by Academics who use Greek, Roman and British (Shakespeare to modern 'free verse') poetic metres as a standard. His insight highlight the thoughtfulness and sophistication of Bible parallelism, juxtaposition and moving from general to the particular among other aspects. Anyone who has ever read aloud the Hebrew texts or the great King James Bible (1610) or JPS 1917 version cannot miss the carefully crafted use of alliteration, assonance consonance and end rhyme that hallmark the Bible as 'oral' literature.

Illuminates not just biblical poetry but the practice of verse in general.